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MEMOIRS  OF 
PRINCE  JOHN  DE  GUELPH 


Photograph  by  Pach  Bros.,  New   York 

PRINCE   JOHN    DB   GUELPH 

The  direct  legitimate  lineal  successor  to  the  late 
King  Edward  VII 


THE  MEMOIRS 


OF 


PRINCE  JOHN 
DE  GUELPH 

BEX  ET  IMPERATOR  DE  JURE 

OF 


Great  Britain  and  Ireland 


WITH  INTRODUCTION  AND  MANY 
PHOTOGRAPHS 


NEW  YORK 
B.  W.  DODGE  &  COMPANY 

1910 


COPYRIGHT,  1910,  BY 
WILLIAM   RICKEY. 

Registered  at  Stationers'  Hall,  London. 
(All  Rights  Reserved) 

PRINTED  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES  OF  AMERICA. 


MORSE 


PRESS    OF    WILLIAM    Q.    HEWITT,    BROOKLYN,    N.    Y. 


TO  MY  BELOVED  MOTHER 

To  the  people  of  the  United  Kingdom  of  Great  Britain  and 
Ireland,  to  the  people  of  the  Colonies  and  British  Possessions 
beyond  the  Seas,  to  the  people  of  my  beloved  India,  and  to  the 
people  of  the  United  States  of  America  (whose  hospitality  and 
friendship  I  have  enjoyed  for  the  past  twelve  years),  this 
book  is  dedicated  in  the  name  of  the  Most  High — the  King  of 
Kings. 

Ekam  eva  advittyam. 


. 


•  T. 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  I 

Direct  Lineal  Succession  and  Royal  Titles  of  John  II  Rex  et 
Imperator  de  Jure  of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland  and  of  the 
Empire  of  India Page  1 

CHAPTER  II 

Casper  Hauser  Redivius — not  quite — Comparing  the  Early 
Fate  of  John  De  Guelph  with  that  of  the  Famous  Foundling. 

Page  19 
CHAPTER  III 

Marriage  of  the  first  Princess  Consort  to  H.  R.  H.,  the  Prince 
of  Wales — Facts  About  the  Marriage— The  Place  of  Meeting  of 
the  Prince  of  Wales  as  a  Young  Man Page  2% 

CHAPTER  IV 

The  Royal  Family  Council  at  Buckingham  Palace— The  News 
of  the  Prince's  Marriage  has  reached  the  Queen — Plotting  at 
the  Family  Council Page  30 

CHAPTER  V 

The  Royal  Tiff— Lively  Scene  in  the  Queen's  Closet — The 
Queen  wants  to  Manage  the  "Affair"  all  by  herself  and  the 
Prince  Consort  objects — Details  of  the  plot  hatched  by  the 
Queen — The  Marriage  to  Princess  Alexandra Page  S5 

CHAPTER  VI 
Early  Impressions Page  40 

CHAPTER  VII 

Earliest  Recollections— I  snub  my  Grandmother,  the  Queen— 

I  declare  a  "Holy  War" Page  49 

HI 


... 


vni  Contents 

CHAPTER  VIII 

A  Pathetic  Meeting— Fruits  of  Scarlet  Sin  of  Royal  Court 
visited  on  Second  and  Third  Generations — Why  King  Solomon 
was  Favored  of  God Page  60 

CHAPTER  IX 

A  series  of  Amusing  and  Painful  Incidents — I  remove  to 
Lichfield,  Staffordshire Page  70 

CHAPTER  X 

Chafing  under  the  Injustice  of  my  Disinheritance  and  Re- 
straint in  my  False  Position  I  throw  off  my  Yoke  and  go  into 
the  World — a  Man  among  Men Page  84 

CHAPTER  XI 

I  enlist  in  the  Bedfordshire  Regiment  stationed  in  Ireland — 
Amusing  Incidents  with  Irish  People — I  refuse  Promotion  to 
become  better  Acquainted  with  the  Soldier's  Life Page  100 

CHAPTER  XII 

Amusing  stories  of  a  Soldier's  Life  in  Ireland — With  Col. 
Hillier  on  Spike  Island— Outbreak  of  Convicts — I  play  the  r61e 
of  Commander  of  Cork  Harbor Page  111 

CHAPTER  XIII 

Spike  Island  University  of  Experience — The  Sorrows  of  Ire- 
land Portrayed  in  Chains — Inhuman  Evictions,  Starvation,  Pes- 
tilence, and  Death — My  soul  Stirred  with  Pity,  I  take  up  the 
Burden  of  my  Mother's  Ancestral  Home Page  122 

CHAPTER  XIV 

Queen  Victoria's  Pro-German  Policy  Cause  of  Oppression  in 
Ireland — Proclamation  for  the  Emancipation  of  Ireland. 

Page  139 

CHAPTER  XV 
I  sail  for  India — Incidents  of  Voyage Page  145 


Contents  'ix 

CHAPTER  XVI 

My  Welcome  to  India  in  Striking  Contrast  to  that  of  my 
Father's— My  first  Impressions  of  the  Land  of  Famine — "In- 
dia's Coral  Strands,"  "The  Valley  of  Dry  Bones"— The  Dying 
and  the  Dead — Shape  my  Future  Life  and  I  resolve  to  solve  the 
Problem— Incidents  of  Early  Military  Life  in  India. .  .Page  152 

CHAPTER  XVII 

Military  Life  in  Secunderabad— I  attend  Military  School— I 
begin  the  study  of  Oriental  Languages — Sorrow  and  Soli- 
tude— Ordered  to  Cannonore,  Malabar  Coast — Incidents  of 
March — Elephant  runs  Amuck  in  Camp! — Diamond  fields  and 
ruby  mines  of  India  and  Burma Page  165 

CHAPTER  XVIII 

Military  Duties— Influence  of  Missions  on  Social  Life  of  Mili- 
tary Camps — Oriental  Philosophy — I  assume  the  role  of  "The 
White  Yogi!  " Page  115 

CHAPTER  XIX 

At  Malliapurem— I  visit  the  Warlike  Maphlas— In  Maphla 
Town — The  Sacred  Temple  of  Talliparamba — A  personal  en- 
counter with  Tiger!— In  Bed  with  a  Cobra! Page  183 

CHAPTER  XX 

A  False  Alarm! — The  Blind  Missionary — A  True  Romance — 
I  refuse  the  Management  of  a  large  Tea  and  Coffee  Planta- 
tion— "Pangs  of  Regret" Page  19% 

CHAPTER  XXI 

I  rejoin  my  Regiment— Military  Life  in  Burma — An  Exciting 
Time  with  a  Company  of  Madras  Native  Infantry! — I  leave  the 
Army— Appointed  Inspector  of  Police — An  Exciting  Arrest! 

Page  201 

CHAPTER  XXII 

Epidemic  of  Cholera — My  Experience  in  the  Cholera  Sheds — 
I  go  to  sleep  with  Dead  Convicts,  Victims  of  Cholera!  Page  212 


x  Contents 

CHAPTER  XXIII 

I  Amuse  the  General's  Daughters — Detective  Duty — Chasing 
Dacoits! — Visit  of  the  Viceroy— A  Wild  Drive— Rangoon  en 
•fete  et  en  Grande  Tenuef Page  219 

CHAPTER  XXIV 

Transferred  to  Mandalay — I  am  placed  in  Command  of  the 
Burma  Military  Police — Ambushed  and  Captured,  I  Surprise 
my  Captors Page  230 

CHAPTER  XXV 

I  enter  the  Prison  Service — I  Supersede  my  Superiors — In- 
novation in  Prison  Administration — A  Study  of  Criminology — 
The  Practical  Application  of  Physiological-Psychology  to  Ab- 
normal Data,  as  Pound  in  the  Criminal  and  Insane.. Page  237 

CHAPTER  XXVI 

Prison  Reforms  which  Affect  the  Judicial  Department  and 
Put  a  Stop  to  Wholesale  Executions Page  244 

CHAPTER  XXVII 

An  Outbreak  of  Convicts— Warders  Killed  and  Wounded— 
Others  escape— I  run  to  their  Assistance  and  Find  Myself  Un- 
armed and  Unsupported  before  Two  Thousand  Armed  Convicts! 

Page  254 

CHAPTER  XXVIII 

Transferred  to  Bassein — In  the  Power  of  Assassins — I  estab- 
lish Schools— I  visit  the  Malay  Peninsula Page  262 

CHAPTER  XXIX 

A  Comedy  of  Errors — I  am  taken  for  an  ex-Convict — Shad- 
owed by  General  Manager  of  a  Department  Store — The  Bishop's 
"cooking  brandy!  " Page  272 

CHAPTER  XXX 

A  Passage  of  Arms  with  the  Rebels — I  run  Risk  of  being 
Converted  into  Pemican Page  279 


Contents  xi 

CHAPTER  XXXI 

I  am  Taken  Dangerously  111 — Being  Urged  Upon  by  my 
Spiritual  Adviser  I  send  a  Message  of  Forgiveness  to  my 
Grandmother,  the  Queen,  and  my  Father,  and  Thereby  Reveal 
my  Identity Page  286 

CHAPTER  XXXII  - 

I  am  Recommended  for  Chair  of  Burmese  in  Cambridge  Uni- 
versity— I  Sail  for  England — Buffeted  by  Southwest  Monsoons, 
we  reach  England  much  Battered  and  Crippled Page  292 

CHAPTER  XXXIII 

I  Return  to  Burma— I  Espouse  the  Cause  of  the  People — My 
Growing  Popularity  a  Menace  to  those  who  had  Usurped  my 
Rights — Fifteen  years  of  Political  Intrigue  and  Persecution  fol- 
low  Page  298 

CHAPTER  XXXIV 

I  Sail  for  the  United  States  to  treat  a  Blind  Millionaire,  but 
fall  into  the  Hands  of  the  Philistines  of  New  York. .  .Page  809 

CHAPTER  XXXV 

Travels  in  the  Interest  of  Science — I  go  to  California — In  the 
Earthquake  of  San  Francisco — I  return  to  England — Cancer 
Research — I  Receive  the  thanks  of  my  Father,  King  Edward  VII 

Page  815 

CHAPTER  XXXVI 

Business  in  New  York — I  found  The  American  Statist — In- 
terest myself  in  American  Politics— A  Lady  of  Worth — The 
American  Legislative  Union — Public  Health  Society  to  Raise 
the  Standard  of  the  Public  Health Page  325 

CHAPTER  XXXVII 
Conclusion 

Prince  John  Thanks  his  Many  Friends  and  Faithful  Sup- 
porters in  the  British  Empire,  the  Press  and  many  Friends 
and  Supporters  in  America — Was  "The  lady  in  black"  the  Dis- 
carded Wife— the  Rightful  Queen  of  England — my  Mother,  per- 


xii  Contents 

mitted  to  view  the  Remains  of  her  Husband — my  Father,  the 
King,  who,  moved  by  a  False  Sense  of  Duty  to  the  Nation  and 
the  Coercion  of  his  Mother,  had  Discarded  boh  Wife  and  Child? 

Page  33% 
DIEU  ET  MON  DROIT. 

MAY  GOD   DEFEND   THE  EIGHT. 

ADDENDA , Pages  339-461 


ILLUSTBATIONS 

PRINCE  JOHN  DE  GUELPH Frontispiece 

Lineal   Successor  to  Late  King  Edward  VII. 

FACING    PAGE 

PRINCE  JOHN  DE  GUELPH 143 

Rex  et  imperator  de  jure. 

PRINCE  JOHN  AS  A  MISSIONARY 285 

His  MAJESTY  KING  EDWARD  VII 288 

QUEEN  VICTORIA 306 

LATE  REV.   GEO.   A.   CARPENDER.  .  .  430 


TO  THE  OPEN-MINDED  EEADEE 

HEEE  comes  a  story,  a  realistic  romance,  which 
simply,  as  such,  compels  a  reading  by  its  human 
interest  and  sets  us  thinking  over  the  mysteries  of 
life  and  luck.  The  writer  of  these  lines  had  known 
nothing  of  the  author  of  the  book,  nor  had  he  ever 
seen  him,  when  by  sheer  chance  some  of  its  printed 
pages  came  to  hand. 

A  general  prejudice  against  claims  of  this  na- 
ture gave  piquancy  to  the  reading.  After  allowing 
it  full  play,  the  outcome  of  a  fair  consideration  of 
the  entire  case  is  this : 

The  claimant  verily  believes  in  his  claim,  which 
fact  alone  lifts  him  out  of  the  vulgar  impostor 
class.  He  is  not  a  nobody,  with  nothing  individual 
to  claim  our  attention  but  his  claim.  He  has  lived 
a  large  life,  crowded  with  activities  so  varied,  and 
in  the  main  so  clearly  conducted  toward  the  intro- 
duction of  desirable  reforms  in  the  Home  and 
Colonial  Government  for  the  better  administration 
of  the  Empire  in  the  interest  of  the  people,  and  in 
the  furtherance  of  universal  peace,  as  proven  by 
the  official  data  cited,  that  his  story  would  be  good 
and  instructive  reading  without  its  supreme  at- 
traction— the  claim.  Then,  independently  of  these 
features,  stands  the  powerful  protest  against  those 
by  whose  sanction  the  most  sacred  and  legal  mar- 

Xiii 


xiv  To  the  Open-Mmded  Reader 

riage  of  love  can  be  shattered,  its  victims  torn 
apart  forever,  the  offspring  outlawed  from  its 
birthright  by  the  mere  sway  of  a  sovereign's  scep- 
tre, the  decrees  of  the  Bible  and  the  Common  Law 
which  governs  the  common  people,  who  make  and 
unmake  kings,  set  aside  at  the  whim  of  a  despotic 
or  degenerate  or  meddlesome  crowned  head,  or  for 
the  equally  convenient  screen,  '  '  reasons  of  State. ' ' 

The  personal  interest  is  overshadowed  by  these 
vaster  issues  which  it  illustrates,  questions  of  vital 
moment  to  every  citizen  of  professedly  Christian 
countries.  The  Eoyal  Marriage  Act  of  George  III 
is  no  mere  antiquated  legal  bauble,  for  royal  jest- 
ers to  tickle  their  courtiers'  heads  with.  In  cases 
besides  the  one  presented  in  this  book  it  can 
become  a  gilded  bludgeon  when  wielded  with  in- 
tent to  kill — say  trifles  like  hearts,  sacraments, 
fortunes  or  just  laws.  Its  interest  is  not  only  for 
British  subjects.  Our  Eepublic  is  fast  linking  it- 
self, fashion  by  fashion  if  not  heart  to  heart,  with 
European  royalty  and  English  aristocracy  in  the 
bonds  of  holy  or  other  wedlock.  American  wom- 
anhood should  have  a  say  in  a  matter  so  serious 
for  their  exported  daughters  and  posterity. 

Over  and  above  the  romantic  interest  in  this  per- 
sonal record  and  plea  there  is  that  without  which 
no  claimant  can  ask  serious  attention,  that  is  a 
plain,  strong,  self-proving  and  temperate  presen- 
tation of  the  case.  These  elements  are  here  and 
command  respect.  The  rest  lies  with  the  reader. 
He  is  invited  to  sit  and  weigh  as  he  reads.  The 
author  has  the  advantage  of  not  being  a  profes- 
sional literary  man.  He  tells  his  tale  with  the 


To  the  Open-Minded  Reader  xv 

artless  candor  of  a  child.  His  earliest  recollec- 
tions are  simply  recorded ;  so,  too,  the  adventures 
of  his  boyhood  as  a  foster  child  who  from  the  first 
had  an  inkling  of  a  higher  parentage.  Then  fol- 
low the  strangely  ordained  series  of  experiences 
in  the  army,  with  real  peril  episodes  in  India,  quick 
and  seemingly  unusual  promotions ;  then  as  an  offi- 
cer of  rising  grades  in  the  prison  there,  with  re- 
markable incidents,  suggestive  of  the  possession 
of  a  power,  or  temperamental  gift  supposed,  but 
wrongly,  to  be  the  peculiar  endowment  of  Orien- 
tals. In  the  healing  art,  ordinary  church  and  edu- 
cational work,  and  his  acknowledged  genius  for 
' '  doing  things ' '  outside  the  routine  of  service  duty, 
the  author  surprises  by  his  versatility  and  pluck, 
for  such  things  are  heretical  to  your  machine- 
made  official. 

In  the  later  years  his  efforts  have  been  to  turn 
these  practical  experiences  to  practical  ends  for 
himself,  a  man's  first  duty,  and  then  for  his  country 
and  this  country.  Now,  when  such  an  one  devotes 
his  personal,  private  efforts  to  the  extremely  deli- 
cate duty  of  pursuing  his  search  for  what  he  hon- 
estly believes  to  be  the  bare  justice  withheld 
unjustly  by  persons,  or  by  a  "reason  of  State,"  in 
a  country  where  all  royal  acts  and  "reasons  of 
State"  are  commonly  viewed  as  more  than  semi- 
sacred  it  is  obvious  that  his  path  must  be  pe- 
culiarly an  uphill  one,  and  it  is  certain  that  all 
sorts  of  big  and  little  stones  will  be  sent  rolling 
down  upon  him  by  the  fortunate  creatures  who 
live  away  up. 

This  is  the  common  lot  of  all  claimants.    So  it 


xvi  To  the  Open-Minded  Reader 

is  not  surprising  to  read  of  sudden  interferences 
when  business  affairs  are  on  the  verge  of  success- 
ful completion  and  of  majestic  refusals  by  liveried 
servants  to  present  perfectly  proper  messages  to 
their  masters,  who,  when  they  learn  of  flunkey  pre- 
sumptions, administer  corrections.  These  are  in 
the  comedies  of  life  and  are  good  for  our  temper, 
but  a  public  claimant  almost  necessarily  dwells  in 
the  pillory.  This  is  a  whiff  of  the  romance  of  life 
and  serves  a  wholesome  purpose.  It  is  so  cheap 
and  easy  to  fling  stones  at  a  deaf  and  dumb  man 
when  his  back  is  turned  and  he  is  carrying  his  load 
of  affairs  in  both  hands  that  perhaps  we  should  be 
as  indulgent  to  the  sort  of  people  who  think  it  fair 
sport  as  we  are  to  the  imps  who  make  a  midsum- 
mer day  a  fiery  torment  to  the  sick  and  aged,  who 
have  no  rights,  and,  anyway,  can  not  get  out  to  hit 
back.  Kings  and  commoners  have  their  full  share 
of  these  joys. 

Looking  not  merely  at  but  into  this  moving  pic- 
ture of  a  life,  strangely  shaped  by  the  mysterious 
forces  that  bear  no  name,  it  would  not  surprise  us 
if  the  claimant  had  pitched  his  story  in  a  shrill 
key.  He  might  have  made  it  scandalous  and 
pleaded  that,  its  text  being  a  scandal,  the  sermon 
should  be  to  match.  But,  as  already  stated,  the 
temperate,  and  not  seldom  dignified,  tone  and 
spirit  of  the  whole  commands  respect.  If  every 
just  claim  was  absolutely  demonstrable,  at  any 
moment  of  time,  through  every  item  and  document 
and  circumstance  from  A  to  Z,  laws  and  law  courts 
would  never  have  come  into  existence.  Probably 
the  extravagant  verbiage  of  the  jury  bamboozler 


To  the  Open-Mwded  Reader  xvii 

originated  in  the  dearth  of  facts  in  hand  which 
reasonably  prove  facts  past  resurrection.  The 
case  here  presented  needs  no  vulgar  screeching;  it 
would  be  fatally  injured  by  it. 

The  author  had  no  lack  of  models  and  authori- 
ties, such  as  they  are,  if  he  had  chosen  the  sensa- 
tional method,  so  alien  to  kingly  grace  and  noble 
blood.  The  press  wields  more  than  the  power  of 
kings  in  this  our  true  Republic,  and  right  royally 
does  it  use  it  in  matters  outside  the  Treasury  and 
politics  departments.  If  it  has  a  failing  it  is  its 
liability  to  mistake  its  sceptre  for  a  shillalah.  It 
can  not  whack  this  book  as  a  book  of  royal  scandal, 
which  would  be  to  advertise  it  as  a  "best  seller." 
We  have  an  over-sufficiency  of  little  scandals  of 
our  own,  but  it  is  nice  of  course  to  keep  up  with  the 
foreign  fashions.  The  more  curious,  therefore,  it 
is  to  see  writers  earn  a  respectable,  certainly  a 
genteel,  livelihood  by  purveying  to  respectable,  at 
least  genteel,  newspapers  catering  to  high  caste 
people  a  daily  re-hash  of  new  and  decomposed 
scandals,  royal,  aristocratic,  plutocratic,  exclu- 
sively besmirching  the  adored  old  families  of 
Europe. 

The  author  who  submits  this  book  to  public 
analysis  does  not  belong  to  either  of  these 
classes.  He  does  not  invite  us  to  sit  down  to  a 
silver  dish  which,  when  we  lift  the  cover,  is  odor- 
ous of  slanderous  scandal  and  rotten-ripe  apples 
of  Sodom.  His  claim  to  royal  blood  carries  at 
least  the  stamp  of  courtly  manners.  Not  so  with! 
the  garbage  gatherers  who  make  their  scanty  liv- 
ing by  it,  nor  with  those  who,  by  selling  it  at  cheap 


xviii  To  the  Open-Minded  Reader 

retail,  rake  in  the  millions  which  pay  their  en- 
trance fee  into  the  grand  stand  where  they  wear 
the  badge  of  a  dollarocracy  not  yet  aristocracy. 
Leaving  those  who  hunger  for  high-spiced,  mythi- 
cal "mysteries  of  the  Courts  of  London "  to  these, 
their  daily  caterers,  the  present  claimant  is  content 
that  this  budget  of  biography,  facts,  attestations 
and  arguments  shall  speak  for  itself  and  for  his 
claim. 

More  than  this  he  does  not  ask;  less  than  an 
open-minded  reading  will  be  a  denial  of  every 
claimant's  common  right. 

NOVEMBEB  1, 1910. 

AN  ENGLISHMAN. 


PEEFACE 

BKITISH-AMEKICAN    PATRIOTISM    AND    JUSTICE 

PATKIOTISM  and  justice  actuated  by  the  all-per- 
vading spirit  of  moral  principle,  and  directed  by 
the  judicious  exercise  of  the  divine  intelligence 
of  the  super-cosmic  consciousness,  are  the  mag- 
netic corner  stones  upon  which  the  British- Ameri- 
can people  have  built  the  allied  world-power 
Empire-Eepublic,  the  center  of  civilization  and 
Christian  enlightenment  to  which  all  other  nations 
turn  in  friendship  and  peace. 

The  subject  of  these  Memoirs  appeals  to  the 
high  moral  sentiment  and  spirit  of  justice  of  the 
British- American  people,  in  particular,  and  of  the 
whole  civilized  world  in  general. 

British  loyalty  to  the  Sovereign  is  proverbial. 

The  subject  of  these  Memoirs  appeals  to  British 
loyalty  to  protect  the  direct  line  of  legitimate 
lineal  succession  to  the  throne,  and  to  loyally 
support  the  legitimate  heir-at-law  of  the  late 
deeply  lamented  Sovereign,  His  Majesty  King 
Edward  VII. 

As  a  Christian  nation,  England,  in  framing  the 
laws  by  which  the  civil  contract  and  religious  sac- 
rament of  holy  matrimony,  and  the  right  of  in- 
heritance, are  regulated,  based  the  said  laws 
upon  the  Divine  Laws  in  the  Holy  Scriptures, 

xix 


xx  Preface 

which  are  quite  clear,  and  which  no  earthly  Sov- 
ereign has  power  to  change,  for  it  is  written,  "Till 
heaven  and  earth  pass,  one  jot  or  one  tittle  shall 
in  no  wise  pass  from  the  law,  till  all  be  fulfilled/' 

A  Sovereign  who  violates  the  law  of  God,  and 
the  nation,  both  collectively  and  individually, 
that  countenances  and  approves  or  even  tolerates 
such  violation  of  the  Divine  Law  by  their  Sover- 
eign, stand  equally  guilty  before  God. 

The  direct  line  of  legitimate  lineal  succession 
to  the  British  throne  is  determined  by  the  follow- 
ing law: 

"If  a  man  have  two  wives,  one  beloved,  and 
another  hated ;  and  they  have  borne  him  children, 
both  the  beloved  and  the  hated;  and  if  the  first- 
born son  be  hers  that  was  hated; 

"Then  it  shall  be,  when  he  maketh  his  sons  to 
inherit  that  which  he  hath,  that  he  may  not  make 
the  son  of  the  beloved  firstborn  before  the  son  of 
the  hated,  which  is  indeed  the  firstborn; 

"But  shall  acknowledge  the  son  of  the  hated 
for  the  firstborn,  by  giving  him  a  double  portion 
of  all  that  he  hath ;  for  he  is  the  beginning  of  his 
strength;  the  right  of  the  firstborn  is  his."  Deu- 
teronomy, 21 : 15, 16  and  17. 

Queen  Elizabeth  recognized  and  observed  this 
law  by  reviving  the  Act  32,  Henry  VIII  C.  38 
(repealed  in  part  by  2  and  3  Edward  VI  C.  23, 
and  in  whole  by  I  and  2  p.  and  M.  C.  8,  but  re- 
vived by  the  I  Elizabeth  I  which  enacts  that 
"No  prohibition,  God's  law  except,  shall  trouble 
or  impeach  any  marriage  without  the  Levitical 
degrees." 


Preface  xxi 

It  can  not  be  said  that  the  reigns  of  Henry  VIII 
and  Elizabeth  were  marked  by  a  higher  manifes- 
tation of  Christian  principle  and  moral  sentiment 
than  during  the  past  fifty  years.  But,  the  indiffer- 
ence and  apathy  with  which  Christian  England 
and  the  Christian  world  have  countenanced  the 
practice  of  royal  bigamy,  and  the  setting  aside  by 
Princes  of  the  Eeigning  House  of  their  lawful 
wives,  without  cause  and  without  due  process  of 
law,  and  the  disfranchising  and  casting  off  of  their 
legitimate  offspring,  in  favor  of  plural  wives  and 
their  illegitimate  issue,  is  a  blot  upon  the  refined 
fabric  of  our  vaunted  Christian  piety  and  ad- 
vanced civilization;  since  the  so-called  and  de- 
spised "  heath  en"  would  not  stoop  to  such  barbar- 
ous and  unholy  acts. 

The  harems  of  the  followers  of  the  derided 
" false  prophet"  are  havens  of  domestic  peace 
and  felicity,  when  compared  to  the  torture  of  mind, 
and  body,  and  soul,  of  the  repudiated  wife  of  a 
"Christian"  Eoyal  Prince.  The  Buddhist  Mon- 
arch, His  Majesty  the  King  of  Siam,  has  for  some 
years  past  been  conducting  a  continued  model  les- 
son in  England  for  the  edification  of  the  British 
Eoyal  Family  and  the  British  public  in  the  ethics 
of  true  morality  and  paternal  duty  to  offspring. 

The  small  army  of  sons  of  His  Majesty,  by  his 
first  and  plural  Queens,  attending  schools  and  col- 
leges in  England,  has  been  frequently  commented 
upon  by  the  English  press.  Such,  however,  is  the 
common  misconception  of  the  Christian  world  of 
their  particular  form  of  religious  faith,  and  of 
the  immunity  with  which  their  Kings  may  violate 


xxli  Preface 

the  laws  of  God,  that  they  are  loath  to  accept  the 
lesson  of  Christian  love  and  paternal  duty  as  illus- 
trated by  this  so-called  "  heathen "  King. 

The  " still  small  voice,"  the  voice  of  the  con- 
science, speaks  to  the  people  of  the  United  King- 
dom of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland,  and  to  the 
Christian  people  of  the  great  Eepublic  of  the 
United  States  of  America  and  of  the  world,  to 
demand  that  the  barbarous  custom  of  Princes  in 
repudiating  their  lawful  wives,  and  casting  adrift 
their  legitimate  offspring  be  stopped,  and  that  the 
direct  line  of  legitimate  lineal  succession  to  the 
Throne  of  the  United  Kingdom  of  Great  Britain 
and  Ireland  be  protected,  and  that  British  loyalty 
and  justice  be  shown  to  the  eldest  legitimate 
son  and  heir-at-law  of  His  late  Majesty  King 
Edward  VII. 

JOHN,  PKINCE  OF  GREAT  BRITAIN  AND  IRELAND. 


SUMMARY  OF  THE  CASE  OF  PEINCE  JOHN 

DE  GUELPH  OF  GREAT  BRITAIN 

AND  IRELAND  vs.  ROYAL 

POLYGAMY 

MAY  GOD  DEFEND  THE  RIGHT 

I  WAS  born  in  Windsor  Castle  on  the  8th  of  Janu- 
ary, 1861. 

I  have  resided  in  the  United  States  of  America 
for  more  than  ten  years. 

With  the  assent  of  Queen  Victoria,  my  grand- 
mother, and  with  the  consent  of  my  father,  the  late 
King  Edward,  I  assumed  the  family  name  of  the 
reigning  dynasty  of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland: 
Guelph.  Thus  for  many  years  prior  to  my  advent 
to  America  I  enjoyed  the  recognition  and  protec- 
tion of  my  father  as  a  legitimate  member  of  the 
House  of  Guelph. 

My  mother,  the  first  Princess  Consort  of  King 
Edward,  comes  from  one  of  the  most  historic  of 
the  noble  families  of  the  United  Kingdom,  her  an- 
cestors having  come  in  the  train  of  William  the 
Conqueror,  and  she  was  considered  to  be  the  most 
beautiful  lady  in  the  Royal  Court.  She  has  lived 
in  voluntary  exile  and  has  been  engaged  in  preach- 
ing the  Gospel  and  doing  pious  service  in  Asia. 

The  mutual  attachment  which  sprang  up  be- 

xxiii 


xxiv  Summary 

tween  the  heir  apparent  to  the  throne  and  the 
beautiful  lady  of  his  choice  was  frowned  upon  by 
the  Queen  and  the  sovereign  will  was  brought  to 
bear  upon  the  young  Prince  in  a  manner  calculated 
to  make  him  amenable  to  the  Queen's  own  plan  in 
the  choice  of  his  future  consort. 

The  Prince  of  Wales  was  required  to  attend  the 
manoeuvres  at  the  Curragh,  County  Kildare,  Ire- 
land, in  the  early  spring  of  1860. 

It  was  about  that  time  that  my  father  took  the 
opportunity  to  exercise  his  self-will  and  diplo- 
macy, for  which  he  was  noted  throughout  his  life, 
by  marrying  the  bride  of  his  choice — in  order  to 
escape  the  political  alliance  for  which  he  was 
slated  but  which  was  repugnant  to  his  refined 
nature. 

When  Queen  Victoria  was  informed  of  the  mar- 
riage she  summoned  her  son  and  daughter-in-law, 
establishing  the  latter  in  apartments  in  Windsor 
Castle  and  sending  the  Prince  on  his  travels  across 
the  sea  to  Canada  and  to  the  United  States.  From 
this  fact  it  is  to  be  presumed  that  if,  in  the  mar- 
riage contracted  by  my  father  and  mother,  there 
had  been  one  word  omitted  from  the  ritual,  or  any 
of  the  ecclesiastical  or  civil  disabilities  recognized 
by  English  law,  the  first  Princess  Consort,  my 
mother,  would  never  have  been  allowed  to  set  foot 
in  Windsor  Castle,  much  less  to  live  there  as  a 
guest  to  be  confined  in  the  royal  residence.  Hence 
the  reasonable  conclusion  that  their  marriage  was 
legal,  and,  consequently,  the  expected  issue  thereof 
legitimate.  My  mother  was  above  reproach  or  sus- 
picion, and  her  rank  was  sufficiently  high  to  entitle 


Summary  xxv 

her  to  be  the  Queen  Consort  in  that  it  was  the 
equal  of  that  of  some  of  the  queens  and  crown 
princesses  of  continental  powers  of  the  present 
day  and  vastly  superior  to  that  of  several  former 
Queens  of  England ! 

The  reason  why  this  book  was  not  published 
during  my  father 's  life  is  twofold.  I  was  naturally 
reluctant  to  embitter  the  last  years  of  my  parents ' 
life  by  reviving  these  painful  memories,  and,  sec- 
ondly, because  my  father,  on  October  23,  1906, 
having  found  that  it  was  inexpedient,  at  that  time, 
to  further  emphasize  his  sovereign  pleasure  by 
royal  "  command "  for  due  recognition  of  certain 
reforms  introduced  by  me,  and  already  supported 
by  His  Majesty,  expressed  his  regret  that  he  was 
" unable  to  do  anything  further  in  the  matter,"  in- 
timating that  it  was  impossible  to  force  the  issue 
without  precipitating  a  national  political  crisis 
which  would  have  caused  a  rupture  in  the  reigning 
house  and  which  he  was  naturally  anxious  to  avert 
during  his  life. 

Eecognizing  the  fact  that  my  father  had  no  al- 
ternative but  to  obey  the  sovereign  command  of 
Queen  Victoria  in  separating  from  his  first  Con- 
sort, my  mother,  and,  further,  that  my  father's 
exalted  station  as  Sovereign  of  the  Realm  justified 
his  desire  that  I  should  allow  a  matter  of  such  vital 
political  importance  as  the  one  in  question  touch- 
ing the  direct  legitimate  lineal  succession  to  the 
throne  to  rest  until  after  his  death,  I  considered  it 
to  be  my  duty  to  him  and  to  the  Empire  to  respect 
his  wishes,  even  at  the  expense  of  further  self- 
sacrifice. 


xxvi  Summary 

Foreseeing,  toward  the  end  of  1909,  the  ap- 
proaching dissolution  of  my  father,  King  Edward 
VII,  the  long  pent-up  sorrow  of  my  life  broke 
the  bonds  of  silence,  and  I  decided  that  the  hon- 
ors, so  long  withheld  from  my  cruelly  wronged 
mother,  should  be  done  her  before  her  husband's 
demise. 

Accordingly,  in  the  month  of  December  last,  I 
wrote  to  the  King,  urging  him  as  sovereign,  con- 
sort and  father  to  lose  no  further  time  in  publicly 
acknowledging  my  mother.  Then,  also,  I  began 
to  compile  these  memoirs. 

Under  date  of  January  10,  1910,  I  again  wrote 
to  my  father,  duly  advising  him  of  my  intention 
to  publish  these  memoirs,  and,  in  order  that  he 
might  be  fully  informed  of  my  attitude  while  it 
was  still  in  his  power  to  exercise  his  sovereign 
prerogatives  and  a  husband's  privilege  to  right 
the  wrongs  inflicted  upon  his  lawful  wife,  my 
mother,  I  sent  him  as  much  of  the  first  draft  of 
the  MS.  as  was  then  finished. 

The  legal  recognition  and  protection  as  a  legiti- 
mate son  which  I  enjoyed  from  my  father  since 
the  time  when  he  first  made  known  my  identity 
in  1893,  persuaded  me  that,  even  should  the  King 
fail  to  rectify  his  matrimonial  tangle  ere  he  passed 
from  life — an  affair  involving  the  question  of  di- 
rect, legitimate,  lineal  succession — his  possible 
neglect,  I  said,  to  take  decisive  action  ought  to 
be  considered  as  indicative  rather  of  his  Majesty's 
statesmanlike  conviction  that  the  adjustment  had 
better  be  left  until  after  his  death,  than  to  ill- 
favor,  either  toward  my  mother  or  myself. 


Summary  xxvii 

The  King  offered  no  objection  to  my  memoirs, 
though  there  can  be  no  manner  of  doubt  that 
the  far-reaching  effect  the  publication  of  a  book 
of  this  kind  must,  of  necessity,  have  upon  his 
second  family  and  the  British  Empire  at  large, 
was  clearly  mirrored  in  that  wise  head  of  his. 
He  also  knew  of  my  intention  to  cause  the  so- 
called  Eoyal  Marriage  Act  and  the  barbarous  Act 
of  William  and  Mary,  the  Bill  of  Eights,  to  be  ex- 
punged from  the  statutes  of  Great  Britain  yet  pro- 
tested not. 

My  last  letter  to  my  father,  under  date  of  April 
10,  1910,  conveyed  my  final  appeal  that  he  take 
the  necessary  steps  in  the  above  important  mat- 
ter, but  the  condition  of  his  health  at  that  time, 
coupled  with  the  political  crisis  in  England  due 
to  the  strained  relations  between  the  upper  and 
lower  houses  of  Parliament,  made  it  absolutely 
impossible  for  King  Edward  to  comply  with  my 
filial  request,  as  I  realize  now. 

My  father  having  now  been  taken  from  me  and 
from  our  loyal  and  devoted  people,  it  becomes 
my  duty  as  his  eldest,  legitimate  son  to  right  the 
wrong  done  my  mother,  and  to  put  a  stop  to  the 
practice  of  unholy  royal  polygamy,  repugnant  to 
the  tenets  of  Christianity  and  the  moral  sentiment 
of  all  good  people. 

Even  if  I  were  the  poorest  subject  of  the  United 
Kingdom,  a  son  of  the  people,  understanding  the 
law  as  I  now  do,  I  would  be  in  honor  bound  to 
make  war  on  this  Royal  Marriage  Act  in  order  to 
enforce  compliance  with  the  constitutional  law 


xxviii  Summary 

providing  for  direct  legitimate  lineal  succession 
to  the  throne  of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland. 

Let  me  state  beforehand  that  I  bear  no  ill  will 
to  any  member  of  my  late  father's  family.  In  my 
correspondence  with  my  half-brother  George- 
known  as  George  V  of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland 
— George,  the  incumbent  of  honors,  prerogatives 
and  millions,  my  rightful  patrimony,  no  trace  of 
rancor,  of  annoyance,  even,  will  be  discovered. 
Being  satisfied  that  justice  is  bound  to  triumph  in 
the  end,  I  read  with  satisfaction  of  the  appoint- 
ment of  my  uncle,  the  Duke  of  Connaught,  to  the 
vice-royalty  of  Canada;  let  sister  Louise  (by  half, 
I  am  sorry  to  say)  glory  in  the  empty  title  of  Prin- 
cess Eoyal,  and  let  my  other  sisters,  sisters-in- 
law  and  nephews  enjoy  their  appanages  from  the 
nation  and  the  family  treasury — my  family  treas- 
ury. I  envy  them  not,  and,  unlike  Cousin  d  'Artois 
(afterward  Charles  X),  who  steeped  his  body 
naked  in  the  yellow  metal  pouring  from  barrels 
of  coined  gold  discovered  in  the  Tuilleries  cellars 
after  Napoleon's  defeat,  the  inevitable  success  of 
my  present  efforts  will  find  me  more  worried,  per- 
haps, but  no  less  calm  than  at  the  outset  of  this 
campaign. 

I  repeat  that  I  bear  no  ill-will  to  George,  nor  to 
our  common  sire.  It  was  an  infamous  law  that 
separated  my  mother  and  the  father  of  her  un- 
born babe;  that  tore  the  infant  from  her  young 
breast;  that  cast  both  mother  and  child  adrift— 
the  one  to  go  through  life  a  heartbroken  woman,  a 
distracted  mother;  the  other  committed  to  the 
care  of  strangers,  to  be  illtreated  as  a  babe,  neg- 


Summary  xxix 

lected  in  youth,  persecuted  in  manhood,  a  wan- 
derer on  the  face  of  the  earth,  a  homeless  man, 
a  prince  without  country,  maligned,  tormented, 
subjected  to  poverty  through  political  intrigue  and 
malicious  interference  with  his  business  interests, 
falsely  accused,  beset  for  years  by  hired  assassins 
and  exposed  to  imminent  and  violent  death  a  thou- 
sand times. 

And  the  separation  of  my  parents,  ordered  by 
Queen  Victoria,  is  but  one  of  the  crimes  sanc- 
tioned by  this  law  that  winks  at  the  scarlet  sin 
of  royal  polygamy.  In  1884  the  royal  lady,  my 
lamented  grandmother,  appealed  to  it  to  force 
Grand  Duke  Ludwig  of  Hesse-Darmstadt  to  expel 
his  morganatic  wife  of  a  few  hours  from  his  do- 
mains. That  H.  R.  H.  was  a  German  Prince  and  a 
sovereign  availed  him  nothing  since,  first  and  last, 
he  was  Victoria's  son-in-law,  slated  to  marry  my 
Aunt  Beatrice — the  Deceased  Wife's  Sister's  bill 
permitting — and  when  on  January  14,  1892,  my 
oldest  half-brother,  the  Duke  of  Clarence  and 
Avondale,  died  rather  suddenly,  the  present  de 
facto  King,  then  Prince  George  Duke  of  York,  was 
ordered,  under  the  same  law,  to  separate  from  his 
lawful  first  wife  and  their  children  in  order  to 
wed  Princess  May,  Clarence's  betrothed. 

Disregarding  the  Hesse  case  as  without  British 
jurisdiction,  we  have  seen  the  throne  of  England 
twice  dishonored,  within  fifty  years  from  date,  by 
crimes  against  helpless  wives  and  children :  Royal 
Princes  cast  off  their  lawful  wife  and  marry  again 
without  procuring  a  divorce  from  their  first  wife. 

According  to  the  canonical  and  civil  statutes 


xxx  Summary 

by  which  marriage  is  regulated  in  the  United 
Kingdom,  or  in  any  other  civilized  country  for 
that  matter,  such  second  matrimonial  alliances  are 
null  and  void,  because  bigamous ;  their  issue,  con- 
sequently, is  illegitimate. 

However,  that  royal  wives,  consorts  of  the  high- 
est in  the  land,  are  discarded,  royal  Princes  and 
Princesses  of  Great  Britain  disowned;  that  the 
bar  sinister  is  raised  over  Buckingham  Palace, 
and  the  nation's  wealth  bestowed  upon  individuals, 
who,  whatever  their  personal  worth,  have  abso- 
lutely no  claim  on  the  public  bounty,  is  not  due 
to  my  remoter  ancestor,  the  third  George,  and  the 
actions  of  my  grandmother,  Queen  Victoria,  alone 
— the  citizens  of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland  are 
equally  guilty.  Where  my  relatives  sinned,  they 
connived.  Whenever,  intoxicated  with  arbitrary 
power  assumed  over  their  immediate  family,  the 
sovereigns  disregarded  the  constitution  and  every 
moral  law,  British  subjects  acquiesced. 

That  the  King  can  do  no  wrong  has  been 
drummed  into  the  ears  of  Englishmen  so  per- 
sistently; the  story  that  Mr.  Pitt  went  down  on 
his  gouty  knees  before  the  King;  yes,  and  my  Lord 
of  Marlborough,  too,  and  their  Graces  of  Canter- 
bury, as  well  as  statesmen  and  conquerors — all  this 
is  so  popular  in  our  isles  that  loyalty  shrinks  from 
inquiring  too  closely  into  rumors  of  sovereign 
acts  inconsistent  with  the  dignity  of  the  crown 
and  manly  honor,  inconsistent  with  proper  re- 
gard for  womanhood  and  the  rights  of  legitimate 
offspring. 
It  is  due  both  to  the  throne  and  to  the  people 


Summary  xxxi 

to  end  this  scandalous  state  of  affairs.  If  I  were 
but  an  humble  subject  of  the  great  British  realm, 
it  would,  as  stated,  be  my  privilege  to  contribute 
to  this  end — as  the  King  de  jure  it  is  my  sacred 
duty,  and  I  now  ask  the  people  of  the  United  King- 
dom of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland : 

First:  To  put  an  end,  now  and  for  all  time, 
to  the  practice  of  bigamy  by  princes  of  the  royal 
house,  or  the  sovereign. 

Secondly :  To  recognize  the  legal  status  of  the 
first  and  only  lawful  wife  of  his  late  Majesty 
Edward  VII,  their  real  Queen  Dowager,  my 
mother,  which  act,  as  a  logical  consequence,  guar- 
antees recognition  of  my  own  rights  under  the 
laws  of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland. 

JOHN,  Rex  et  Imperator  de  jure. 


Memoirs  of 

Prince  John  de  Guelph 


CHAPTER  I 

DIRECT    LINEAL    SUCCESSION     AND    BOYAL     TITLES    OF 

JOHN    II.    BEX    ET    IMPEEATOE    DE    JUEE    OF 

GEEAT  BEITAIN  AND  IEELAND  AND  OF 

THE  EMPIEE  OF  INDIA 

THE  lineal  descent  and  succession  to  the  royal 
title  of  Prince  John  de  Guelph  is  determined  under 
the  provisions  of  the  following  laws,  to  wit : 

I.  (a)  Under  the  provisions  of  the  Marriage 
Acts  of  the  United  Kingdom  of  Great  Britain  and 
Ireland,  and  (b)  the  Ecclesiastical  and  Civil  Dis- 
abilities. 

II.  Under  the  provisions  of  the  so-called  Boyal 
Marriage  Act,  the  12  George  III  C.  II. 

III.  Under  the  provisions  of  the  law  govern- 
ing legitimate  genealogical  descent  and  succession, 
by  which  legislative  measures  it  is  provided  that 
legitimate  offspring  only  possess  the  legal  right 
to  bear,  and  to  transmit  to  posterity,  the  family 

name  of  the  paternal  house. 

i 


s  -of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

IV.  Under  the  provisions  of  the  legislature 
governing  lineal  succession  to  titles  of  descend- 
ants of  the  House  of  Guelph  and  Saxe-Coburg- 
et-Gotha. 

The  provisions  of  the  Ecclesiastical  and  Civil 
Marriage  Law  are  very  clear ;  the  mutual  consent 
of  the  parties  to  the  marriage  contract,  whether 
in  the  presence  of  witnesses  or  not,  and  whether 
committed  to  writing  or  not,  is  all  that  is  neces- 
sary within  the  meaning  of  the  Marriage  Acts  to 
establish  the  validity  of  marriage. 

Any  man  and  woman  are  capable  of  marrying, 
subject  to  certain  disabilities,  canonical  and  civil. 
The  effect  of  a  canonical  disability  as  such  is  to 
make  the  marriage  not  void  but  voidable.  The 
marriage  must  be  set  aside  by  regular  process,  and 
sentence  pronounced  during  the  lifetime  of  the 
parties. 

England. — In  England  the  civil  disabilities  are : 
(1)  The  fact  that  either  party  is  already  married 
and  has  a  spouse  still  living;  (2)  the  fact  that 
either  party  is  of  unsound  mind;  (3)  want  of  full 
age  (puberty),  which,  according  to  the  Eoman 
law,  still  in  force,  is  placed  at  fourteen  years  for 
males  and  twelve  years  for  females;  (4)  proximity 
of  relationship  within  the  prohibited  Levitical 
degrees. 

The  most  important  Acts  in  force  in  England 
are  the  4  George  IV  C.  76  and  6  &  7  William  IV 
C.  85.  By  the  19  &  20  Victoria  C.  96,  "The  con- 
sent of  parents  is  not  necessary  to  the  validity  of 
the  marriage,  even  of  minors ;  but  marriage  under 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph  3 

the  age  of  puberty,  with  or  without  such  consent, 
is  void." 

The  Eoyal  Marriage  Act  (12  George  III  C.  II), 
passed  in  consequence  of  the  marriages  of  the 
dukes  of  Cumberland  and  Gloucester,  enacted  that 
"no  descendant  of  his  late  Majesty  George  II 
(other  than  the  issue  of  Princesses  married  or 
who  may  marry  into  foreign  families)  shall  be 
capable  of  contracting  matrimony  without  the  pre- 
vious consent  of  his  Majesty,  his  heirs  and  suc- 
cessors, signified  under  the  great  seal.  But  in 
case  any  descendant  does  contract  a  marriage  dis- 
approved by  his  Majesty,  such  descendant,  after 
giving  twelve  months '  notice  to  the  privy  council, 
may  contract  such  marriage,  and  the  same  may  be 
solemnized  without  the  consent  of  his  Majesty, 
and  shall  be  good,  except  both  Houses  of  Parlia- 
ment shall  declare  their  disapprobation  thereto." 

There  is  nothing  within  the  meaning  of  the  so- 
called  Eoyal  Marriage  Act  to  invalidate  a  mar- 
riage contracted  by  a  "descendant  of  his  late 
Majesty  George  II,"  without  having  previously 
obtained  the  consent  of  the  sovereign  under  the 
great  seal,  within  the  meaning  of  the  canonical 
and  civil  disabilities,  or  within  the  meaning  of 
the  statutory  legislation,  by  which  the  contract 
and  sacrament  of  marriages  is  regulated. 

The  statute  which  establishes  the  rule  on 
canonical  and  civil  disabilities,  and  the  unconsti- 
tutionally of  the  Eoyal  Marriage  Act,  12  George 
III  C.  II,  and  the  validity  of  a  marriage  contracted 
by  a  royal  Prince,  "descendant  of  his  late  Maj- 
esty George  II,"  without  the  consent  of  the  sov- 


4  Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

ereign,  is  the  32  Henry  VIII  C.  38  (repealed  in 
part  by  2  &  3  Edward  VI  C.  32,  in  whole  by  1  &  2 
P.  &  M.  C.  8,  but  revived  by  the  1  Elizabeth  C.  I), 
which  enacts  that  "no  prohibition,  God's  law  ex- 
cept, shall  trouble  or  impeach  any  marriage  with- 
out the  Levitical  degrees." 

With  reference  to  the  first  marriage  of  his 
Majesty  King  Edward  VII,  contracted  without  the 
formal  consent  of  her  late  Majesty  Queen  Victoria, 
with  the  most  beautiful  daughter  of  one  of  the 
most  noble  families  in  the  United  Kingdom  of 
Great  Britain  and  Ireland,  and  therefore  duly 
qualified  by  birth  and  title  to  have  become  the 
Queen  of  England,  there  is  no  record  of  a  royal 
proclamation  under  the  great  seal  to  set  aside  the 
said  marriage. 

In  the  absence  of  any  public  record  of  a  royal 
proclamation  by  the  sovereign  or  legal  process  to 
set  aside  the  first  marriage  of  his  Majesty  King 
Edward  VII,  the  formal  consent  of  the  late  sov- 
ereign, as  contained  in  the  royal  proclamation 
under  the  great  seal,  to  the  marriage  of  his 
Majesty  and  the  Princess  Alexandra  would  be  ir- 
regular, and  the  second  marriage  was  contracted 
in  violation  of  provisions  of  the  canonical  and 
civil  disabilities,  which,  according  to  the  State 
Legislature,  include:  (1)  "The  fact  that  either 
party  is  already  married  and  has  a  spouse  still 
living";  and  (2)  in  violation  of  the  provisions  of 
the  1  Elizabeth  C.  I,  which  enacts  that  "no  pro- 
hibition, God's  law  except,  shall  trouble  or  im- 
peach any  marriage  without  the  Levitical  de- 
grees." 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph  5 

The  provisions  of  the  Acts  of  the  Legislature 
governing  legitimate  genealogical  descent  are 
clear  and  are  generally  understood. 

Legitimacy  of  offspring  is  legally  established 
in  a  person  who  bears,  and  who  is  publicly  known 
by,  the  family  name  of  the  paternal  house. 

A  paternal  parent  by  recognizing  the  right  of 
his  offspring  to  be  so  known  and  called  by  his 
family  name,  legitimatizes  and  thereby  legally 
recognizes  and  protects  the  rights  and  privileges 
of  such  legitimate  offspring  to  bear  and  to  trans- 
mit to  posterity  the  family  name  of  the  paternal 
house. 

In  the  case  of  the  late  sovereign,  his  Majesty 
King  Edward  VII,  the  King  was  the  head  of  the 
royal  House  of  Guelph,  and  had,  therefore,  the  sov- 
ereign power  to  recognize  the  legitimacy  of,  and  to 
legitimatize,  offspring  of  the  House  of  Guelph,  ac- 
cording to  his  royal  pleasure. 

His  Majesty  King  Edward  VII  could  command 
the  recognition  of  the  legitimacy  of  his  own  off- 
spring by  his  Majesty's  first  Princess-Consort,  or 
other  offspring  of  the  reigning  family,  by  one  or 
more  of  the  following  methods  of  procedure: 

I.  By  royal  proclamation  signified  under  the 
great  seal. 

II.  By  his  last  will  and  testament. 

III.  By  the  royal  command  that  such  offspring 
shall  be  known  and  recognized  by  the  family  name 
of  the  royal  House  of  Guelph,  or  by  such  other 
name  or  title  as  his  Majesty  may  be  graciously 
pleased  to  confer  upon  such  offspring. 

IV.  By  permitting  such  offspring  to  bear  and 


6  Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

to  be  publicly  known  by  the  name  of  the  royal 
family  of  the  House  of  Guelph,  and  authorizing 
the  recognition  of  the  same,  by  general  usage 
and  custom,  by  correspondence  or  otherwise. 

To  determine  the  legitimacy  of  the  issue  of  the 
first  marriage  of  his  Majesty  King  Edward  VII, 
Prince  John  de  Guelph,  the  subsequent  setting 
aside  of  that  marriage  by  royal  proclamation  or 
by  other  legal  process  would  not  have  invalidated 
the  said  marriage  during  the  time  of  its  exist- 
ence, up  to  the  time  of  such  royal  proclamation, 
or  sentence  by  other  regular  process  according 
to  law,  assuming  that  such  royal  proclamation 
had  been  issued,  nor  would  such  annulment,  had 
it  been  legally  carried  out,  have  illegitimatized  the 
said  issue. 

Under  the  provisions  of  the  Ecclesiastical  and 
State  law,  and  irrespective  of  the  consent  or  non- 
consent  of  the  late  sovereign  to  said  marriage, 
and  of  the  question  as  to  whether  the  said  mar- 
riage was  or  was  not  set  aside  according  to  law, 
the  legitimacy  of  the  said  issue  of  the  marriage 
was  legally  established  by  the  recognition  and 
protection  accorded  to  him  for  many  years  past 
as  a  legitimate  member  of  the  House  of  Guelph 
by  his  late  father,  his  Majesty  King  Edward  VII 
as  the  sovereign  head  of  the  reigning  house. 

Confirming  the  foregoing  statement  of  facts 
relative  to  the  legal  recognition  and  protection  of 
the  legitimate  lineal  descent  of  Prince  John  de 
Guelph,  it  may  be  stated  that  while  the  said  John 
de  Guelph,  for  political  and  State  reasons,  during 
the  early  years  of  his  life,  lived  in  seclusion,  his 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph  7 

identity  was  made  public  in  India,  during  what 
was  thought  by  his  physicians  to  be  a  fatal  illness, 
in  the  year  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  ninety- 
three,  and  was  confirmed  at  that  time  by  his 
father,  then  Prince  of  Wales. 

From  the  above-named  year  the  subject  of  these 
memoirs  continued  to  bear,  and  has  been  publicly 
known  by,  the  family  name  of  his  paternal  parent. 
The  legitimacy  of  John  de  Guelph  is  legally  es- 
tablished by  virtue  of  such  public  recognition  of 
his  identity  as  a  legitimate  member  of  the  House 
of  Guelph. 

His  legitimacy  was  further  confirmed  by  his 
Majesty  King  Edward  VII,  immediately  follow- 
ing the  coronation  of  his  Majesty  in  1902,  by  a 
command  to  the  War  Office  to  entertain  official 
relations  with  the  business  house  of  Guelph  &  Son, 
under  which  firm  name  and  style  John  de  Guelph 
was  then  and  is  at  the  present  time  conducting 
his  financial  business. 

The  London  offices  of  Guelph  &  Co.  were  then 
at  Grosvenor  Mansions,  82  Victoria  Street,  West- 
minster, S.W.,  and  at  20  Bishopsgate  Street 
Without,  E.G. 

The  legitimacy  of  John  de  Guelph  is  further 
established  by  extensive  documentary  evidence  of 
private  correspondence  of  an  affectionate  and 
filial  nature  between  him  and  his  father,  King  Ed- 
ward VII,  and  the  mass  of  official  correspondence 
between  him  and  the  various  departments  of  the 
British  Government  covering  a  period  of  many 
years. 

In  corrob'oration  of  the  above  statement,  part 


8  Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

of  the  aforesaid  private  and  official  documentary 
evidence  is  reproduced. 

The  hereditary  titles  and  qualification  thereto 
of  all  members  of  the  House  of  Guelph  are  defined 
by  law,  as  set  forth  in  the  Almanack  de  Gotha, 
to  wit: 

MAISON  BRUNSWICK-LUNEBOURG 

(Maison  des  Guelfes) 

Les  enfants  du  chef  act.  de  la  maison  portent 
le  titre  de  prince  roy.  ou  princesse  roy.  de  Grande- 
Bretagne  et  d'Irlande,  due  ou  duchesse  de  Bruns- 
wick et  de  Lunebourg  avec  la  qualification  d'Alt. 
Eoyale. 

GRANDE-BRETAGNE   ET   IRELANDE 

(Maison  des  Guelfes  ou  de  Brunsivick-Lunebourg) 
Les  cadets  portent  le  titre  de  princes  et  prin- 
cesses roy.  de  Grande-Bretagne  et  d'Irlande, 
princes  et  princesses  de  Saxe-Coburg-et-Gotha, 
dues  et  duchesses  de  Saxe,  avec  la  qualification 
d 'Alt.  Eoyale. 

GRANDE-BRETAGNE  ET  IRLANDE 

(Maison  des  Saxe-Coburg-et-Gotha) 
Les  cadets  descendant  de  la  reine  Victoria  por- 
tent le  titre  de  princes  et  princesses  royale  de 
Grande-Bretagne  et  Irlande,  et  les  princes  et 
princesses  de  Saxe-Coburg-et-Gotha,  dues  et 
duchesses  de  Saxe,  avec  la  qualification  d'Alt. 
Eoyale. 

During  the  lifetime  of  the  late  King  Edward, 
then,  the  hereditary  titles  and  qualifications  of  the 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph  9 

subject  of  these  memoirs,  John  de  Guelph,  were 
Prince  of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland,  Duke  of 
Saxe,  Eoyal  Highness.  In  addition,  as  the  direct 
legitimate  issue  of  the  House  of  Guelph,  the  cre- 
ated titles  of  Duke  of  Cornwall,  Duke  of  Rothesay, 
Count  of  Chester,  Count  of  Carrick,  Count  of 
Dublin,  Baron  of  Renfrew,  and,  according  to  the 
law  of  both  Church  and  State,  heir-apparent  to  the 
throne  of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland  and  the 
Empire  of  India. 

The  foregoing  presentation  of  the  case  in  brief 
is  confined  to  facts,  statutes  and  the  canonical  and 
civil  disabilities,  by  which  all  marriages  in  the 
United  Kingdom  of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland  are 
regulated.  These  memoirs  are  given  to  the  public 
to  fill  a  higher  purpose,  however,  than  that  of 
self-interest. 

For  the  future  protection  of  the  honor  of 
womanhood,  of  the  sanctity  of  the  divine  institu- 
tion of  matrimony,  of  the  rights  of  innocent  off- 
spring, of  the  honor  and  dignity  of  the  Consti- 
tution of  the  State  and  Empire,  of  the  holy  order 
and  divine  authority  of  the  Church,  and  of  the 
more  sacred  observance  of  the  Laws  of  Almighty 
God,  it  is  my  purpose  to  arouse  public  sentiment 
that  immediate  action  may  be  taken  for  the  aboli- 
tion of  abuses  against  the  sacred  rights  and  privi- 
leges of  Princes  of  the  reigning  House,  and  of  the 
people,  to  be  effected  by  the  repealment  of  two 
Acts  of  the  British  Legislature,  which  are  as  un- 
constitutional as  they  are  barbarous,  bigoted  and 
unholy  in  the  sight  of  God  and  man : 


10  Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

I.  The  Royal  Marriage  Act  12  George  III  C.  II. 
II.  The  Statute  of  William  and  Mary  (The  Bill 
of  Eights.) 

In  order  to  understand  the  importance  of  ad- 
justing the  first  of  the  above  Acts  it  is  well  to 
study  the  subject  from  a  legal  standpoint,  as  never 
presented  to  the  public  before. 

He  who  is  guilty  of  willfully  deceiving  a  virtu- 
ous woman  by  inducing  her  to  go  through  a  form 
of  "mock  marriage,"  the  victim  being  led  to  be- 
lieve that  she  is  being  legally  married  to  the  man, 
would  be  personally  dealt  with  by  nine  hundred 
and  ninety-nine  out  of  a  thousand  fathers,  or, 
would  be  lynched  by  the  outraged  community  in 
order  to  expedite  justice.  It  may  be  safely  con- 
jectured that  the  jurists  of  the  civilized  world 
would  hold  such  a  father  or  community  justified 
in  meting  out  swift  justice  to  such  a  villain.  By 
the  due  process  of  law  such  a  criminal  would  be 
sentenced  to  a  long  term  of  imprisonment. 

What  shall  we  say  of  the  so-called  Eoyal  Mar- 
riage Act? 

We  can  not  take  seriously  the  verdict  of  laymen, 
or  the  babblings  of  irresponsible  persons  who  pose 
as  authorities  on  the  subject,  and  declare  that  ac- 
cording to  the  provisions  of  the  Koyal  Marriage 
Act,  a  prince  is  "incapable  of  contracting  a  mar- 
riage" without  having  obtained  the  consent  of 
the  Sovereign  thereto  signified  under  the  great 
seal. 

King  George  III  was  in  spirit,  if  not  in  fact,  an 
autocratic  monarch.  So  exaggerated  were  his 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph  11 

ideas  of  the  exalted  station  of  Kings  and  royalty 
in  general,  that  he  looked  upon  the  descendants  of 
George  II  as  beings  of  a  more  celestial  order  than 
he  considered  his  non-royal  subjects  to  be. 

His  sensitiveness  on  this  matter  filled  him  with 
a  desire  to  curb  the  matrimonial  inclination  of  his 
two  brothers;  and,  at  the  same  time,  to  keep  his 
son,  the  Prince  of  Wales,  in  leading-strings,  that 
he  might  exercise  his  sovereign  rights  as  a  match- 
maker in  disposing  of  his  royal  relatives.  Hence, 
his  ridiculous  bluff,  the  creation  of  the  Eoyal  Mar- 
riage Act,  the  12  George  III  C.  II. 

Had  George  III  in  his  speech  from  the  Throne 
commanded  the  sun  to  stand  still,  the  moon  to  re- 
verse its  course,  and  the  oceans  to  become  dry 
land,  he  would  have  acted  with  greater  wisdom 
than  he  did  by  his  insane  attempted  usurpation 
of  the  attributes  of  the  Almighty,  in  presuming 
to  turn  the  course  of  human  love.  Edicts  on  the 
sun,  moon  and  ocean  would  have  been  harmless; 
whereas,  the  royal  decree  against  the  affairs  of 
the  human  heart  has  wrought  untold  injustice  in 
the  lives  of  many  of  England's  most  noble  princes 
and  Britain's  purest  maidens,  not  to  speak  of  in- 
nocent offspring  robbed  of  their  birthright,  or  of 
the  confusion  occasioned  thereby  in  matters  of 
grave  importance  to  the  State  and  Empire. 

Bearing  in  mind,  then,  the  fact  that  the  so-called 
Eoyal  Marriage  Act  was  the  creation  of  the  whim 
of  George  III,  to  prevent,  if  possible,  the  form- 
ing of  mesalliances  in  the  royal  family,  can  it  be 
supposed  that  had  George  III  considered  his 
Eoyal  Marriage  Act  to  be  constitutional  he  would 


l£  Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guetpk 

have  been  a  party  to  what  he  could  only  have 
looked  upon  as  mock  marriages  between  his 
brothers,  the  dukes  of  Cumberland  and  Gloucester, 
with  Mrs.  Horton  (Lord  lanham's  daughter)  and 
the  Dowager  Countess  Waldgrave?  Can  it  be 
thought  that  he  would  have  connived  at  a  mock 
marriage,  by  his  own  son?  Can  the  world  think 
that  the  royal  dukes  of  Cumberland  and  Glou- 
cester, brothers  of  George  III,  and  George  IV, 
and,  during  the  last  reign,  the  late  Duke  of  Cam- 
bridge, Edward  VII,  when  Prince  of  Wales,  and 
George,  Prince  of  Wales,  and  others  of  the  Eoyal 
House,  would  be  guilty  of  going  through  "mock 
marriages"  to  deceive  and  betray  the  ladies  whom 
they  loved  and  whom  they  wished  to  make  their 
wives?  The  idea  is  too  preposterous  to  be  enter- 
tained for  an  instant.  And  yet,  should  we  hold  the 
so-called  Eoyal  Marriage  Act  to  be  constitutional, 
mock  marriage  would  be  the  only  explanation  of 
the  alliances  contracted  by  those  royal  princes  con- 
trary to  the  provisions  of  the  said  Eoyal  Mar- 
riage Act. 

Be  it  said  in  all  honor  to  the  British  Eoyal 
Family,  that  the  so-called  Eoyal  Marriage  Act  12 
George  III  C.  II,  is  unconstitutional  and  invalid, 
and  that  Princes  of  the  Eoyal  House  were  not 
guilty  of  deceiving  the  ladies  concerned  by  mock 
marriages. 

The  marriage  of  George  IV  when  Prince  of 
Wales,  contracted  in  violation  of  the  provisions 
of  the  said  Eoyal  Marriage  Act,  was  held  to  be 
valid,  both  as  a  contract  and  as  a  sacrament,  by 
(1)  George  III,  the  creator  of  the  Act;  (2)  by 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph  13 

other  members  of  the  royal  family;  (3)  by  the 
Archbishop  of  Canterbury,  Dr.  Moore,  who  chal- 
lenged both  George  III  and  the  Prince  of  Wales 
in  consequence  of  his  convictions;  (4)  by  the  Prin- 
cess Caroline,  the  bigamous  wife  of  George  IV; 
(5)  by  the  Houses  of  Parliament;  (6)  by  the 
Pope,  on  whose  decision  the  first  wife  of  George 
IV  returned  to  live  with  him  after  his  separation 
from  the  Princess  Caroliine;  (7)  by  William  IV, 
by  whose  command  the  widow  of  George  IV  wore 
widow's  weeds  in  mourning  her  late  husband; 
(8)  by  Edward  VII,  who  authorized  the  publica- 
tion of  said  marriage  on  removing  the  marriage 
certificate  and  other  documents  from  Coutt's 
Bank. 

That  the  foregoing  is  historically  true,  and  that 
the  said  Sovereigns,  including  George  III  him- 
self, the  Privy  Council  and  the  Legislature,  and 
all  authorities  of  the  present  time,  is  fully  borne 
out  in  history,  as  shown  in  the  previous  pages  of 
this  chapter. 

It  is  fortunate  that  George  IV  had  no  issue  by 
his  legal  wife,  and  also  that  she  was  of  the  Eoman 
Catholic  faith,  as  in  the  adjustment  of  the  laws, 
such  issue  would  have  been  the  legitimate  lineal 
descendants,  and  in  direct  line  of  succession  to  the 
throne. 

The  omission  of  her  late  Majesty  Queen  Vic- 
toria to  set  aside  by  legal  process  the  marriage  of 
my  father  and  mother  contracted  in  1860  contrary 
to  the  provisions  of  the  so-called  Royal  Marriage 
Act,  was  a  grave  error  of  judgment  and  is  un- 
fortunate for  all  concerned.  It  must  be  stated, 


14  Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

however,  that,  as  in  the  case  of  George  IV,  the 
omission  was  by  design  and  not  through  ignorance 
of  the  unconstitutionally  of  the  Royal  Marriage 
Act.  The  effect  is  the  same  in  both  cases  in  so 
far  as  the  position  of  the  second  wife  is  concerned. 
Evidence  is  not  wanting  either  in  England  or 
in  Denmark  to  substantiate  the  fact.  Former 
members  of  the  royal  household  of  the  late  King 
Christian  have  testified  to  having  been  present  at 
animated  discussions  in  1860  on  the  proposed  mar- 
riage of  the  then  Prince  of  Wales  and  the  Prin- 
cess Alexandra.  The  late  Prince-Consort  strongly 
disapproved  of  the  proposed  marriage: 

1.  On  the  ground  that  the  rank  of  the  Prince's 
living  Consort  was  too  high,  and  the  exalted  sta- 
tion of  her  family  too  important  to  admit  of  the 
marriage  being  set  aside  by  regular  process  of  law 
in  favor  of  the  Danish  Princess  without  raising  a 
storm  of  public  indignation  throughout  the  King- 
dom. 

2.  That  the  issue  of  the  existing  marriage  be- 
ing a  Prince,  the  position  of  the  children  by  the 
plural  wife,  the  Princess  Alexandra,  should  the 
Queen  persist  in  carry  out  this  alliance,  and  should 
there  be  any    offspring   from    such    an  alliance, 
would  be  no  better  than  was  that  of  the  Princess 
Caroline  (the  bigamous  wife  of  George  IV.). 

The  late  King  Christian  of  Denmark,  it  is  said, 
supported  the  views  of  the  Prince-Consort,  and 
was  likewise  averse  to  the  proposed  matrimonial 
alliance  between  the  Prince  and  His  Majesty's 
daughter. 

The  autocratic  will  of  the  late  Queen  Victoria, 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph  15 

which,  as  is  well  known,  in  matters  of  matrimony 
in  the  royal  family,  was  more  pronounced  even 
than  that  of  George  III,  was  brought  to  bear  with 
all  the  diplomacy  of  a  woman  upon  Queen  Louise 
of  Denmark.  As  is  usual  in  such  cases  petticoat 
perversity  prevailed  against  the  sound  judgment 
and  wise  counsel  of  the  Prince-Consort  and  the 
King  of  Denmark  and  against  the  divine  decree 
of  the  King  of  Kings. 

The  Prince-Consort,  it  is  said,  solemnly  warned 
his  Eoyal  Spouse  that  in  Albert  Edward,  Prince 
of  Wales,  they  had  not  the  unstable  character  as 
exhibited  by  George  IV  under  similar  circum- 
stances, but  that  they  had  to  deal  with  a  Prince 
and  nobleman  of  dominant  will  and  determined 
character.  That  His  Royal  Highness  had,  in  fact, 
positively  assured  them  that  he  would  never  deny 
his  lawful  wife,  or  their  legitimate  offspring — the 
Prince  John  of  Wales. 

The  parental  recognition  and  protection  ac- 
corded to  me  by  my  father,*  in  the  face  of  much 
unpleasantness,  has  proved  that  he  religiously 
kept  his  royal  word,  for  at  the  last  fleeting  review 
of  a  spent  life  he  said,  "I  think  I  have  done  my 
duty." 

The  juggling  with  marriage  laws  for  no  other 
purpose  than  that  of  conniving  at  the  propensity 
of  an  occasional  dissolute  royal  prig  to  play  ducks 
and  drakes  with  the  honor  and  virtue  of  the  most 
noble,  the  most  virtuous,  and  the  most  innocent, 
of  Great  Britain 's  fair  daughters,  is  a  reason  that 


*See  complete  story  in  addenda. 


16  Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

can  not  be  entertained  for  a  moment;  but  the  ex- 
istence of  the  Act  is  a  menace  to  every  innocent 
and  unwary  lady  in  the  land. 

The  existence  of  the  so-called  Eoyal  Marriage 
Act  of  1772  is  an  insult  to  the  intelligence  of  every 
Prince  of  the  Eoyal  House,  in  that  it  would  reduce 
him  to  the  position  of  a  minor  in  leading-strings, 
or  an  imbecile,  incapable  of  exercising  his  own 
judgment  in  a  matter  in  which  the  natural  law  of 
love  is  the  right  and  privilege  even  of  the  brute 
creation,  to  say  nothing  of  the  right  of  judgment 
in  the  choice  of  life  companions  being  enjoyed  by 
the  least  of  the  subjects  of  the  realm. 

Thus  it  is  in  the  vast  Empire  on  which  the  sun 
never  sets,  the  Sovereign  who  is  credited  with  in- 
telligence enough  to  rule  over  more  than  one-third 
of  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth  is  placed  in  the 
ludicrous  position  of  being  deprived  of  the  two 
fundamental  rights  which  constitute  the  basic 
principle  of  our  civilization,  and  enjoyed  by  his 
five  hundred  million  subjects,  the  royal  princes 
excepted : 

1.  The  Divine  right  to  choose  for  himself  a 
wife,  in  accordance  with  the  institution  of  holy 
matrimony. 

2.  The  Divine  right  to  worship  Almightly  God 
according  to  the  dictates  of  his  own  conscience. 

By  the  Statute  of  William  and  Mary,  or  the  Bill 
of  Eights,  the  Divine  right  of  man,  and  the  basic 
principle  upon  which  the  Christian  world  is  gov- 
erned to-day,  the  Law  of  God  is  made  secondary 
to  the  law  of  the  land.  The  Heir- Apparent  who 
would  worship  God  according  to  his  conscience,  if 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Quelph  17 

his  conscience  dictated  the  observance  of  the 
Eoman  Catholic  faith,  would  have  to  choose  be- 
tween God  and  the  crown,  with  the  only  alterna- 
tive of  committing  perjury,  by  swearing  against 
his  own  conscience.  The  Sovereign  is  moreover 
reduced  to  the  farcical  position  of  having  to  choose 
between  his  choice  of  a  wife  and  the  crown,  should 
his  choice  happen  to  be,  as  was  the  case  of  George 
IV,  a  professor  of  the  Eoman  Catholic  faith.  The 
law  of  the  land  may  thus  abuse  the  most  sacred 
rights  of  man  and  woman,  and  encourage  apostacy 
and  sacriligious  acts  of  professing  a  change  of  re- 
ligious views,  by  leaving  one  faith,  or,  what  is 
more  pertinent,  professing  to  do  so  for  ulterior 
purposes,  thus  debasing  the  very  first  rights  of 
our  being. 

It  is  well  to  bear  in  mind  that  while  Mr.  Glad- 
stone's Eeligious  Disabilities  Eemoval  Bill  was 
defeated,  and  the  fanatical  Act  of  a  bygone  age 
is  still  observed  in  this  twentieth  century  of  re- 
ligious liberty,  and  that,  while  the  Sovereign  and 
Heir- Apparent  to  the  throne  with  their  respective 
wives  are  prohibited  from  these  most  sacred  rights 
of  man,  according  to  the  present  system  of  con- 
stitutional government,  it  is  possible  that  any 
law,  even  to  the  changing  of  the  form  of  Constitu- 
tional Monarchy,  may  be  enacted  by  the  majority 
of  a  single  vote  of  a  Eoman  Catholic  member  of 
either  the  House  of  Commons  or  Lords,  and  the 
Sovereign  thereby  deposed  by  the  Catholic  ma- 
jority of  one! 

The  foregoing  was  written  in  November,  1909, 
prior  to  the  last  general  election,  the  result  of 


18  Memoirs  of  Prmce  John  De  Guelph 

which  gave  the  Eoman  Catholics  the  balance  of 
power  in  the  British  Parliament.  Hence,  the 
statement  that  the  Sovereign,  who  is  barred  from 
serving  God  according  to  the  dictates  of  his  con- 
science, should  his  conscience  dictate  the  Eoman 
Catholic  faith,  may  be  deposed  by  a  small  majority 
of  Eoman  Catholic  members  is  quite  within  the 
bounds  of  possibility,  and  I  am  not  alone  in  antici- 
pating the  event. 


CHAPTER  II 

CASPAR  HAUSER  REDIVIVUS NOT  QUITE 

NEARLY  forty-eight  years  before  I  saw  the  light 
at  Windsor  Castle,  the  Prince  of  Wales-to-be  as 
the  first-born  son  of  the  first-born  son  of  Vic- 
toria, Queen  of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland,  the 
Consort  of  the  heir  to  the  Grand  Duchy  of  Baden 
became  the  mother  of  a  healthy  male  child  at 
Carlshruhe  Palace  (September  29, 1812). 

Like  my  own  mother,  H.  R.  H.  happened  to  be 
not  of  the  blood  royal,  but,  unlike  the  great  lady 
referred  to,  my  mother  belonged  to  the  highest 
aristocracy  of  the  ancient  kingdom  of  Ireland, 
while  the  Beauharnais  were  looked  upon  as 
rather  an  itinerant  lot.  That  notwithstanding  Na- 
poleon deigned  to  bestow  her  hand  on  Prince 
Charles  and  she  was  recognized  as  hereditary 
Grand  Duchess  by  all  the  great  powers  and  the 
small.  Stephany  proved  to  be  all  that  could  be 
asked  of  a  ruler's  wife.  As  my  grandmother, 
Queen  Victoria,  favored  England  with  numerous 
princes  and  pricesses,  so  the  sprightly  Napoleonite 
peopled  the  barren  castles  of  her  pretty  adopted 
fatherland — only  they  did  not  live  long.  Though 
begot  by  parents  noted  for  health  and  vigor,  and 

19 


20  Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

surrounded  by  every  luxury  and  care,  one  and  all 
contracted  the  fatal  habit  of  dying  soon  after  birth 
—a  terrible  blow  to  the  young  mother,  but  a  de- 
cided comfort  to  the  Hochbergs,  claimants  of  the 
Baden  throne  by  a  left-handed  marriage. 

However,  while  the  offspring  done  away  with 
were  girls,  the  suspicious  number  of  deaths  in  the 
Grand  Ducal  nursery  was  looked  upon  as  a  mere 
family  affair.  But  when,  on  the  date  mentioned. 
a  son  was  born  to  H.  E.  H.,  the  court  and  diplo- 
mats accredited  in  Carlsruhe  began  to  regard  the 
situation  seriously:  A  son  of  Napoleon's  adopted 
daughter  destined  for  a  German  crown! 

Napoleon — the  air  was  full  of  ugly  rumors  re- 
garding his  Eussian  enterprises  just  then.  "He 
was  bound  to  retreat,  his  grand  army  to  be  cut 
to  pieces  on  the  way  back  to  civilization."  Was  it 
the  beginning  of  the  end  so  long  phophesied? 

At  any  rate,  this  semi-French  grandson  of  the 
great  Napoleon  (fast  becoming  "Little  Nap")— 
was  he  to  thwart  the  hopes  of  the  German  claim- 
ants! 

Even  while  these  portentous  questions  were  dis- 
cussed, stories  whispered  about  palace  and  town 
intimated  that  the  "White  Lady"  had  been  seen  at 
the  castle — at  that  period  every  little  burgrave 
commanded  one  of  these  conveniences — and  dur- 
ing the  night  from  October  15th  to  16th  the  sentinel 
stationed  in  the  corridor  leading  to  Stephany's 
apartments  came  running  to  the  guard-room,  pale 
and  atremble,  and  reported  that  the  historic  ghost 
had  just  stepped  from  the  wall,  "all  white  and 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph  21 

fearsome-looking,"  sending  him  sprawling  down 
the  stairs. 

This  " White  Lady"  was  none  other  than  Coun- 
tess Hochberg,  who  brought  a  dying  babe  to 
Stephany's  lying-in  chamber,  carrying  away  her 
healthy  Prince  through  a  secret  door,  hidden  by 
tapestry.  The  stolen  Prince  was  turned  over  to 
one  Burkhard,  chamberlain,  and  by  him  to  one 
Hennenhofer,  as  big  a  scoundrel  as  the  other,  who 
spirited  the  child  away  to  Falkenhaus,  the  Hoch- 
bergs'  country  seat.  Next  morning,  when  H.  E.  H.'s 
attendants  awoke  from  the  sleeping  draught, 
they  found  the  heir  to  the  Grand  Duchy  cold  and 
stiff,  and  his  death  was  bulletined  accordingly. 
Three  days  later,  by  the  way,  the  stolen  boy's 
grandfather  began  his  disastrous  retreat  from 
Moscow. 

Fifteen  years  passed.  Stephany  had  borne  an- 
other son  and  lost  him  like  the  first;  two  or  three 
more  daughters  had  "blessed"  her  union  with 
Charles,  and  they  had  joined  their  sisters.  She 
grieved  for  them  as  mothers  will  grieve,  but,  some- 
how, retained  an  abundant  faith  that  her  oldest 
son  was  alive.  Behold  his  first  public  appearance 
in  the  tallow  market  at  Nuremberg,  May  26,  1828, 
a  biped,  more  animal  than  man,  walking  on  all 
fours,  slobbering,  whining,  pronouncing  with  dif- 
ficulty a  few  one-syllable  words  that  sounded  more 
like  yaps  or  grunts  than  product  of  a  human  voice. 
For  sixteen  years  this  heir  of  a  Grand  Duchy  had 
expiated  for  the  crime  of  being  a  Napoleonite's 
son  by  solitary  confinement  in  a  Hochberg  stable, 
goats  and  sheep  his  sole  companions. 


2£  Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

The  world  held  its  breath  and  royalty  hid  its 
head  in  shame  as  Caspar  Hauser's  story  gradually 
leaked  out.  Offers  to  educate  him,  restore  him  to 
his  rights !  On  April  1,  1830,  the  reigning  Grand 
Duke,  Leopold,  declared  in  the  state  council  that 
he  would  receive  Caspar  in  his  family  and  give 
him  one  of  his  daughters  for  wife.  Noble  prom- 
ises, fine  words — perish  the  thought  of  man's  in- 
humanity to  man!  To  jail  with  the  dastard  who 
hints  at  royal  turpitude,  particularly  when  my 
Lord  Stanhope  comes  forward  to  be  a  second 
father  to  Stephany's  son. 

But  on  December  14,  1833,  said  Eoyal  Prince 
was  foully  murdered  at  Ansbach,  Bavaria,  and 
"  Finis "  was  written  under  the  affair  of  Grand 
Duchess  Stephany  and  her  first-born. 

" Finis"  Queen  Victoria  tried  to  write  under 
the  affair  of  John  de  Guelph,  too,  when,  on  or 
about  January  8,  1861,  she  turned  over  the  new- 
born babe  of  Albert  Edward's  Princess-Consort  to 
a  maid-servant  to  "bring  up  in  obscurity  and  ig- 
norance of  his  rank";  but  somehow  my  grand- 
mother's intentions  with  regard  to  the  lawful  heir 
to  the  throne  of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland  mis- 
carried, for  my  foster-mother's  sense  of  duty 
was  as  pronounced  as  her  rugged  honesty  was 
aggressive. 

Unlike  Caspar,  I  never  suffered  an  entourage  of 
sheep  and  goats — those  useful  animals  would  have 
been  quite  out  of  date  gamboling  attendance  upon 
a  Prince  in  the  latter  half  of  the  nineteenth  cen- 
tury— nor  were  the  three  E's  kept  from  me  as 
State  secrets,  and  I  was  long  past  the  age  allotted 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph  23 

to  the  heir  of  Baden  ere  threatened  by  assassins 
for  the  first  time. 

More's  the  pity  that  the  royal  "Finis"  cut 
short  the  European  career  of  my  beloved  mother, 
who  shared  with  the  Grand  Duchess  Stephany  the 
sad  pre-eminence  of  beauty  and  a  mother's  worst 
misfortune — separation  from  her  child. 

The  foregoing  is  ample  proof  that  a  crown  is 
no  protection  against  man's  longings,  either  physi- 
cal or  sentimental,  and  that,  while  it's  easy  enough 
to  be  the  son  of  a  King,  for  a  Prince  Eoyal  to  be 
labeled  differently  is  easier  still. 


CHAPTER  III 

MAEBIAGE    OF    THE    FIEST    PRINCESS-CONSORT    TO 
H.  B.  H.  THE  PRINCE  OF  WALES 

MY  mother  was  as  great  an  Irish  beauty  in  her 
teens  as  ever  lived  when  she  renewed  acquaint- 
ance with  my  late  father,  then  Prince  of  Wales, 
at  the  Curragh  of  Kildare,  in  the  second  or  third 
month  of  1860. 

They  had  previously  met  at  court  and  at  the 
town  houses  and  country  seats  of  relatives  and 
friends,  with  a  hundred  eyes  watching  their  every 
movement,  with  listeners  galore,  for  the  Prince 
was  young  and  impressionable  and  Lady  Mary  fit 
to  be  a  Queen,  every  inch  of  her. 

An  English  Queen  come  out  of  Ireland!  High 
treason  most  horrible  to  even  think  of  such  an 
eventuality,  for  the  England  of  the  Normans  and 
Plantagenets,  of  the  Houses  of  Lancaster  and  of 
York,  of  the  Tudors  and  Stuarts,  had  been  com- 
mitted to  German  rule  a  hundred  and  forty-five 
years  and  more,  and  Queen  Victoria  would  as  soon 
have  adopted  the  religion  of  our  earliest  claimed 
ancestor,  King  David,  than  consider  the  marriage 
of  any  of  her  kith  and  kin  outside  her  hallowed 
German  family  circle  and  connections. 

24 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph  25 

As  everybody  knows,  the  Curragh  is  a  famous 
military  camp  southwest  of  Dublin,  and  because 
my  grandmother  had  given  strict  orders  that  her 
son  be  treated  like  any  other  army  officer  assigned 
to  duty  during  the  manoeuvres,  the  Prince  of 
Wales  was  accorded  such  freedom  of  action  as  he 
had  never  known  in  England. 

For  the  first  time  he  durst  mingle  freely  with 
congenial  persons ;  here  he  was  permitted  to  give 
rein  to  his  native  tongue  without  being  reminded 
that  German  was  the  language  par  excellence  in 
the  highest  circles.  What  a  revelation  when  he 
met  Lady  Mary  unheralded  by  court  marshal  and 
without  the  leading  strings  of  a  mistress  of  the 
robe! 

Ladies  invited  to  the  court  of  England  in  those 
days  had  to  dress  after  a  certain  abominable  style 
favored  by  ultra-German  taste.  This  my  father 
hated  with  a  fierce  hatred,  born  of  love  for  the 
picturesque,  of  contempt  for  formalism — the 
blooming  Irish  lass  of  ducal  lineage  attired  in  the 
quaint  costume  of  her  native  isle  became  his  beau 
ideal.  And  they  loved,  these  happy  young  people. 
All  the  time  the  Prince  could  steal  from  his  duties, 
he  devoted  to  the  woman 'of  his  choice,  destined  to 
become  the  mother  of  his  oldest  son. 

About  Curragh  Camp  and  my  father's  stay  in 
February  and  March  of  1860,  I  collected  much 
interesting  material  from  persons  that  knew  him 
while  there,  several  ladies  and  gentlemen  now  de- 
ceased, but  before  I  had  time  to  put  the  material 
in  order  or  to  copy  the  various  papers  and  docu- 
ments kindly  lent,  the  earthquake  and  conflagra- 


26  Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

tion  of  San  Francisco  destroyed  these  never-to- 
be-replaced  records,  and  I  durst  not  trust  myself 
to  reproduce  them  from  memory. 

I  remember  having  seen  a  letter  from  my  grand- 
mother, the  Queen,  to  the  commanding  general, 
thanking  him  for  courtesies  extended  to  the  Prince 
of  Wales,  and  expressing  hope  that  my  father 
would  profit  by  the  experience  gone  through  under 
the  eyes  of  so  many  distinguished  army  officers. 
Her  Majesty's  letter  was  based,  of  course,  on 
reports  made  to  her,  and  she  knew  only  what  the 
Prince  of  Wales'  official  mentor  told  her.  And 
that  gentleman  said,  of  course,  no  more  than  he 
knew  himself,  or  considered  desirable  for  the 
Queen  to  have  knowledge  of,  laying  particular 
stress  on  the  fact  that  my  father  had  conducted 
himself  throughout  in  a  "most  soldierly"  manner. 

How  it  must  have  hurt  the  Queen  to  find,  some 
years  later,  the  German  press  united  in  declaring 
that  the  heir  to  the  crown  of  Great  Britain  had 
"no  notion  whatever  of  military  affairs!"  It 
was  after  my  father  had  been  created  honorary 
colonel  of  some  Prussian  Hussar  regiment. 

When  he  went  to  inspect  his  troopers,  he  cut 
short  some  of  the  official  tomfoolery  and  masquer- 
ades, which  gave  grave  offense.  At  the  same 
time  he  refused  to  don  regulation  shaft  boots, 
such  as  Abraham  Lincoln  used  to  wear,  only  more 
fancy  and  set  off  by  silver  lace.  Instead,  he  wore 
ordinary  walking  boots,  clothing  his  lower  limbs 
in  riding  shafts  appropriately  trimmed.  While 
the  first  transgression  was  bad  enough  from  the 
German  standpoint,  the  last  was  rated  nothing 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph  27 

short  of  crime,  and  the  papers  solemnly  avowed 
that  a  Prince  who  would  not  wear  jack-boots  was 
unfit  for  a  war  lord 's  dignity. 

"The  British  army  is  bound  to  deteriorate  if 
H.  E.  H.  becomes  King,"  they  cried;  "but,  of 
course,  that  will  not  be  Germany's  disadvantage," 
added  some  of  the  journals  slyly. 

Those  who  appreciate  how  completely  my  father 
out-generaled  our  good  cousins  and  particularly 
my  Cousin  William  I.  E.  when  he  came  to  the 
throne,  will  smile  at  the  prophecy,  but  at  the  time 
of  its  launching  it  was  no  laughing  matter. 

No  doubt  my  father  joked  about  it,  for  his  sense 
of  the  ridiculous  was  keener  than  most  English- 
men's; but  Victoria,  ever  ready  to  accept  as  gos- 
pel truth  anything  with  a  German  trademark,  was 
much  distressed,  and  jack-boots  figured  in  her  cor- 
respondence with  my  father  for  quite  a  while. 

To  return  to  the  Curragh.  The  general  com- 
manding had  seen  nothing — whether  he  closed  his 
eyes,  or  suffered  from  dull  man's  blindness,  we 
will  not  investigate  now — and  my  parents  enjoyed 
a  short  season  of  undisturbed  bliss,  probably  no 
more  than  a  month  in  duration,  though. 

Their  marriage  took  place  at  Kingstown  on  or 
about  Apri]  1st,  and  one  of  the  most  pretentious 
houses  in  the  town  is  still  pointed  out  to  visitors 
and  tourists  as  the  temporary  residence  of  the 
"Prince  of  Wales  and  the  first  Princess-Consort." 
"The  Honeymoon  House"  they  call  it  in  popular 
parlance  to  this  day. 

The  private  wedding  and  the  Kingstown  sojourn 
occurred  after  my  father's  service  at  the  Curragh 


28  Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

had  officially  terminated,  and  while  he  was  sup- 
posed to  enjoy  a  furlough  with  his  chum,  the  Earl 
of  Sandwich,  who  afterward  accompanied  him  to 
the  United  States. 

Scions  of  the  House  of  Sandwich  have  always 
been  among  the  most  resourceful,  you  know — be- 
hold the  first  that  sprang  into  world-wide  notice, 
Lord  John,  whose  profligacy  was  wont  to  shock 
my  " Dutch"  uncle,  the  third  George,  the  gentle- 
man who  "practiced  all  the  virtue  he  knew,"  and, 
accordingly,  thought  himself  privileged  to  com- 
mand the  faith,  control  the  thoughts  and  even  the 
hearts  of  the  hundreds  of  millions  subject  to  him. 
George  could  not  manage  his  own  family;  the 
Prince  of  Wales  ignored  him  when  he  married 
Mrs.  Fitzherbert;  his  son  of  York  refused  to  be 
stupefied  by  the  dullness  of  the  courts  of  Kew  and 
Windsor,  and  decamped ;  and  the  Duke  of  Cumber- 
land, marrying  Mrs.  Horton,  caused  the  King  to 
promulgate  the  iniquitous  Eoyal  Marriage  Act, 
preaching  polygamy  as  do  the  laws  of  the  Prophet. 

Such  being  the  state  of  things  in  the  bosom  of 
the  royal  family,  it's  small  wonder  that  the 
King's  frown  and  his  persistent  preaching  failed 
to  reform  Lord  John,  who  thought  nothing  of 
spending  night  and  day  without  ever  moving  from 
the  gaming  table,  and,  when  hungry,  ordered  a 
piece  of  meat  between  bread.  In  the  clubs  and 
gambling  houses  such  an  impromptu  meal  became 
known,  as  we  know  it  to-day,  as  " sandwich,"  and 
"Jemmy  Twitcher" — nickname  for  the  Earl- 
thought  it  better  fun  than  people's  allusions  to 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph  29 

Miss  Kay,  the  actress,  whom  a  rival,  Reverend 
Hackman,  murdered  from  jealousy. 

Strategy  and  diplomacy,  crystallizations  of 
Jemmy's  cleverness  immortalized  in  the  "Heroic 
Epistle, "  were  the  portion  of  the  Earl  of  Sand- 
wich, my  father's  chum — qualities  that  helped  to 
smooth  the  path  of  the  royal  lovers  and  keep 
discovery  at  a  distance  for  a  time  at  least.  But 
there  were  several  in  the  secret,  and  they  were 
whispering  so  much  of  the  Prince  of  Wales '  mar- 
ried happiness  and  the  bonny  Irish  Queen  he  was 
to  seat  on  the  throne  of  the  United  Kingdom — 
official  Kingstown,  withal,  was  so  alive  to  the  honor 
conferred  upon  her :  the  "affair"  could  not  be  kept 
long  from  so  active  a  sovereign  as  was  Queen 
Victoria. 


CHAPTER  IV 

THE  KOYAL  FAMILY  COUNCIL  AT  BUCKINGHAM  PALACE 

ANY  ONE  at  all  acquainted  with  her  late  Maj- 
esty's character  may  imagine  the  result:  The 
mother's  outraged  feelings,  the  monarch's  fears 
and  apprehensions,  the  beloved  German  kin's  rav- 
ings! A  family  council  was  called  in  all  haste 
at  Buckingham  Palace,  my  grandfather,  Prince 
Albert,  presiding. 

The  Queen,  who  had  a  judicial  mind  and,  above 
all,  desired  matters  of  State  or  semi-State  con- 
ducted in  proper  style,  had  commanded  the  Lord 
Chamberlain  to  submit  the  points  at  law. 

The  first  point  raised  by  his  Lordship  was  to 
the  effect  that  there  was  possibly  no  ground  for 
apprehension  whatever,  as  the  lady,  being  of  Irish 
birth,  was,  in  all  probability,  a  Catholic,  which 
eventuality  rendered  her  marriage  to  a  royal  Brit- 
ish Prince  null  and  void  under  the  law. 

The  Queen  could  hardly  restrain  herself  from 
interrupting  his  Lordship's  preamble.  When  he 
was  about  to  begin  arguments,  she  cut  him  short 
by  an  imperious  gesture. 

"Unfortunately,  the  marriage  of  my  son  does 
not  come  under  that  head,"  she  said,  "for  his 
bride  is  a  Protestant,"  whereupon  the  Prince- 
Consort  read  some  official  dispatches  to  that  effect. 

30 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph  31 

"Your  Lordship  will  proceed,"  commanded  my 
grandmother,  without  even  attempting  to  hide  her 
impatience. 

The  Lord  Chamberlain  drew  from  another 
pocket  of  his  portfolio  the  Royal  Marriage  Act 
(12  George  III  C.  II).  After  explaining,  for  the 
benefit  of  the  alien  members  of  the  family  council, 
that  this  Act  was  passed  in  consequence  of  the 
marriages  with  commoners  of  George  Ill's  broth- 
ers, the  Duke  of  Cumberland  and  the  Duke  of 
Gloucester,  his  Lordship  read  the  law  setting  forth 
that  no  member  of  the  British  royal  family  shall  be 
capable  of  contracting  a  legal  marriage  without 
the  previous  consent  of  the  reigning  sovereign, 
signified  under  the  great  seal. 

So  intense  was  the  Queen's  excitement  that,  for 
once,  she  forgot  her  dignity  and  jumped  from  her 
chair,  and  the  wish  being  father  to  the  thought, 
she  seems  to  have  considered  the  Lord  Chamber- 
lain's business  finished.  "We  thank  your  Lord- 
ship," she  said,  with  a  gesture  signifying  dis- 
missal. "The  family  council  will  now  go  into 
secret  session." 

Though  understanding  that  his  presence  was 
no  longer  desired,  the  Chancellor  kept  his  place, 
facing  her  Majesty.  Slowly  and  deliberately  he 
drawled  out:  "Begging  your  Majesty's  pardon, 
my  oath  of  office  binds  me  to  submit  the  law  in 
full,  to  wit:  that  in  case  a  member  of  the  royal 
family  does  contract  a  marriage  disapproved  by 
the  ruler,  such  marriage,  if  otherwise  legal,  will 
become  lawful  after  twelve  months'  notice  to  the 


22  Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

privy  council,  except  both  houses  of  Parliament 
shall  declare  disapprobation  thereto." 

A  dark  shadow  passed  over  Queen  Victoria's 
face.  "As  a  matter  of  course,"  she  said,  "I  am 
familiar  with  the  act  quoted,  though  memory  was 
at  fault  concerning  the  exact  wording.  Do  I  now 
understand  that  your  Lordship  quoted  the  entire 
statute?" 

"At  your  Majesty's  service,  in  a  general  way, 
but  not  as  fully  as  in  the  written  argument 
submitted,"  replied  the  Chancellor,  handing  the 
Queen's  secretary  a  memorandum  of  half  a  dozen 
or  more  pages.  "But  before  I  have  the  honor  to 
retire,  let  me  draw  your  Majesty's  attention  to 
the  paragraph  stipulating  that  the  sovereign  may 
annul  a  marriage  such  as  referred  to  by  royal 
proclamation. ' ' 

"Boyal  proclamation!"  cried  Prince  Albert; 
"that  solves  the  question."  But  the  Queen  made 
him  a  sign  to  go  no  further.  Assuming  the 
rolls  majestatis,  she  said  in  her  haughtiest  tone: 

"We,  the  sovereign,  will  announce  our  will  and 
pleasure  regarding  this  matter  in  due  time." 

In  the  meanwhile  the  Chancellor  had  retreated 
to  the  door.  As  he  bowed  himself  out,  the  Queen 
gave  a  sniff  of  impatience. 

"My  good  cousins,"  she  addressed  the  assem- 
bled royalties,  "we  thank  you  for  your  ready  at- 
tendance and  bind  you  by  your  honor  to  keep  the 
matter  brought  to  your  attention  a  profound 
secret.  Not  a  word  of  it  to  any  one,  least  to  our 
relatives  outside  the  kingdom." 


Memoirs  of  Pr'mce  John  De  Guelph  33 

Then,  looking  straight  at  the  Prince-Consort, 
she  added  slowly:  "We  have  quite  made  up  our 
mind  what  to  do,  but  in  case  of  unforeseen  emer- 
gencies will  be  glad  to  avail  ourselves  of  your 
valued  advice." 

Victoria  motioned  to  her  secretary,  who  sounded 
a  bell.  The  big  folding-doors  were  thrown  open, 
and  the  distinguished  assembly  filed  out  after 
every  one  had  kissed  her  Majesty's  hand,  the  Duke 
of  Cambridge  being  the  last  to  withdraw. 

When  the  Consort,  who  had  attended  him  to  the 
door,  stood  once  more  in  the  sovereign's  presence, 
my  grandmother  said  curtly:  "We  will  announce 
our  plan  in  the  Queen's  closet.  Your  arm,  Prince." 

The  imperious  manner  in  which  the  Queen  had 
been  pleased  to  conduct  the  "council"  had  se- 
verely tried  Prince  Albert's  patience,  for,  though 
jealous  of  her  prerogatives,  Victoria,  as  a  rule, 
asked  the  Consort's  advice,  even  if  she  did  not 
intend  to  follow  it.  Now  that  they  were  alone, 
he  expected  her  to  recognize  his  rights  as  father 
and  husband.  The  haughty  "we"  and  "our" 
therefore  struck  him  as  incongruous  with  the 
situation. 

Dropping  into  German,  as  he  was  wont  to  do 
under  certain  circumstances,  he  said :  "Mem  liebes 
Frauchen,  don't  you  think  that  the  father  is  en- 
titled to  be  heard  as  well  as  the  mother?" 

"No  sentimentalities,  please,"  replied  the 
Queen  with  threatening  emphasis  on  the  last  word. 
"The  heir  to  the  throne  has  disgraced  himself 
by  defying  the  law  of  the  land.  Hence,  at  this 
moment,  I  can  think  of  our  child  only  as  the  Prince 


34  Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

of  Wales,  and  with  him  the  sovereign  must  deal, 
not  the  mother.  After  the  boy  comes  home  you 
may  give  him  a  thrashing,  if  you  like,  but  until 
then  the  Queen  of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland  will 
conduct  the  affair  according  to  her  sovereign  will 
and  pleasure." 


CHAPTEE  V 

A  BIGHT  ROYAL  TIFF — LIVELY  SCENE  IN  THE  QUEEN  ?S 

CLOSET 

THE  royal  couple  had  entered  the  Queen's  closet. 
"Ladies,  I  will  not  require  your  services  until 
an  hour  before  dinner/'  said  the  Queen  to  her 
maids  of  honor  as  she  seated  herself  on  the  sofa. 
She  did  not  ask  the  Prince  to  sit  down  while  she 
unfolded  her  plans. 

"The  War  Office,"  she  began,  "will  order  the 
Prince  of  Wales  to  report  for  duty  without  a  mo- 
ment's delay.  You  will  attend  to  this  and  make  it 
plain  that  any  officer,  high  or  low,  who  fails  to 
carry  out  my  orders  promptly,  will  be  cashiered. 
The  Prince  must  travel  without  stop,  and  his  at- 
tendants will  be  held  responsible  that  he  communi- 
cates with  no  one  en  route. 

"Arrived  in  London,  he  shall  be  conducted  to 
Buckingham  Palace,  there  to  await  my  orders.  I 
intend  to  summon  him  even  before  he  has  time  to 
change  his  traveling  dress,"  added  the  Queen, 
"and  you  shall  be  present  at  our  meeting." 

The  last  was  said  in  rather  a  condescending 
tone,  which  the  Consort  did  not  like,  but  that  her 
Majesty  had  done  him  the  honor  not  to  ignore  him 
entirely  was  enough  encouragement  for  the  time. 

35 


36  Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

"And  what  shall  be  done  about  Lady  Mary?" 
he  demanded  in  an  attempt  to  show  his  authority. 

The  Queen  slapped  her  knee  impatiently,  as  her 
cousin  of  Weimar,  wife  of  the  Prussian  King,  was 
wont  to  do  when  agitated. 

"The  sovereign  will  deal  with  that  young  per- 
son, and  the  sovereign  only,"  replied  her  Majesty 
in  a  petulant  voice. 

"But  may  I  not  inquire  the  nature  of  your 
plans,  at  least?"  pleaded  the  Consort. 

"The  Queen  resolves  as  follows,"  said  my 
grandmother,  accentuating  each  word:  "An  aide 
of  the  Lord  Chancellor,  whose  name  will  be  sent 
to  me  presently,  will  leave  for  Kingstown  to-night, 
bearing  letters  of  a  business  character  to  Lady 
Mary's  father.  I  myself  will  forward  a  few  lines 
to  the  Duchess  by  my  trusted  maid  Susan,  sug- 
gesting that  my  servant  take  charge  of  Lady  Mary 
and  conduct  her  to  London  and  then  to  Windsor. 
At  Windsor  she  is  to  remain  in  the  strictest  se- 
clusion until  after  her  confinement." 

"You  mean  to  recognize  the  marriage?  What 
about  our  arrangements  with  Prince  Christian?" 
cried  the  Consort  excitedly. 

"The  Queen  will  act  as  set  forth,"  replied  her 
Majesty  coldly — "her  mind  is  made  up.  The 
young  woman  is  understood  to  be  with  child  by 
the  heir  to  the  throne.  It  devolves,  therefore, 
upon  the  monarch  that  the  affair  comes  off  de- 
cently and  without  scandal.  Windsor,"  added  her 
Majesty  with  a  complacent  smile,  "is  vast  enough 
to  hide  a  hundred  State  secrets." 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph  37 

"Mein  liebes  Frauchen,  I  am  sure,  will  arrange 
everything  for  the  best,"  said  the  Prince-Consort, 
who  seemed  dazed  by  her  Majesty's  air  of  self-suf- 
ficiency, "yet  I  confess  not  to  fully  comprehend 
the  line  of  action  your  Majesty  has  resolved 
upon." 

At  this  point  the  Queen's  sincere  affection  for 
her  Consort  mastered  her  wish  to  pose  as  sover- 
eign even  in  family  affairs. 

"My  dear  Albert,"  she  said,  relenting,  "we  will 
talk  about  details  after  measures  to  end  an  intoler- 
able and  scandalous  situation  are  under  way  of 
execution.  While  you  repair  to  the  War  Office, 
I  will  settle  things  with  the  Lord  Chancellor  and 
prepare  my  letter  to  the  Duchess.  When  our  peo- 
ple are  en  route  for  Ireland,  we  will  take  advice  as 
to  the  next  thing  to  be  done." 

"By  the  way,"  she  added  abruptly,  "do  not 
fail  to  instruct  your  secretary  to  send  the  answer 
to  Prince  Christian's  letter,  received  this  morn- 
ing by  the  ordinary  mail.  While  my  trust  in  the 
Queen's  messengers  is  unshaken,  I  think  it  hardly 
advisable  to  send  one  to  Denmark  just  now." 

"But,  my  dear  Victoria,  if  you  enjoin  the  utmost 
secrecy,  no  matter  what  the  provocation,  the 
officer  will  be  in  honor  bound " 

"There  you  are  again,"  interrupted  the  Queen, 
"making  confidants  of  people,  taking  risks  when 
there  is  not  the  slightest  need.  '  German  senti- 
mentality run  riot,'  as  one  of  the  papers  put  it 
recently." 

"No,  no,"  she  went  on,  observing  that  her  Con- 
sort's face  flushed  with  anger  and  humiliation, 


38  Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

"let  me  finish,  sir,  I  command  you.  Understand," 
she  continued  in  a  hard,  business-like  tone,  "that 
suppression  of  the  facts  is  our  only  safety.  As 
far  as  I  can  gather,  fully  fifty  persons  have  knowl- 
edge of  the  marriage  outside  of  Lady  Mary's 
family,  some  knowing  more,  some  less,  others  be- 
ing mere  guessers.  Our  interests  demand  that 
we  placate  them,  one  and  all,  i.e.,  pay  them  for  be- 
ing discreet  if  necessary.  Pshaw!" — this  with  a 
contemptuous  shrug  of  her  ample  shoulders — "I 
expect  to  confer  a  considerable  number  of  titles 
to  make  their  bearers  behave  like  gentlemen.  I 
will  let  down  the  bars  even  for  authors  and  jour- 
nalists, if  it  must  be." 

The  Queen  lowered  her  voice  to  a  confidential 
whisper.  "If  we  succeed  in  putting  a  premium  on 
silence,  the  affair  will  soon  blow  over,"  she  said, 
"while  to  tolerate  or  encourage  gossip  about  the 
marriage,  in  any  form  whatever,  would  magnify 
Bertie's  escapade  into  a  grave  affair  of  State. 
This  is  my  reason  for  not  allowing  a  Queen's  mes- 
senger to  go  to  Denmark.  Possibly  Christian 
heard  some  vague  reports,  and  you  know  him  and 
the  Princess  Louise  for  astute  cross-examiners.  If 
from  one  of  our  own  people  they  obtained  but  the 
flimsiest  sort  of  admission,  why,  their  political  de- 
mands would  become  insupportable  overnight. 
They  would  not  hesitate  a  moment  to  ask  us  to  go 
to  war  with  Prussia  and  Austria  to  compel  these 
powers  to  recognize  the  Protocol."  (Her  Maj- 
esty referred  to  the  London  Protocol  of  May, 
1852,  by  which  Prince  Christian  was  recognized 
as  heir  in  Denmark,  including  Schleswig-Holstein, 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph  39 

by  all  the  great  powers  except  the  Diets  of  the 
Elbe  Duchies.) 

The  Prince  bent  low  over  his  wife's  chair  and 
carried  her  hand  to  his  lips.  "If  Lord  Palmerston 
was  as  clever  a  politician  as  my  wife,"  he  said 
gallantly,  "neither  the  Eastern  question  nor  the 
Holy  Alliance  would  keep  him  awake  nights." 

"You  flatterer,"  said  the  Queen,  while  a  broad 
smile  of  satisfaction  stole  over  her  face;  "but  now 
to  work.  We  have  kept  the  Lord  Chancellor's 
aide  waiting  long  enough,  and  the  War  Office  must 
be  getting  impatient,  as  the  secretary  expected  you 
half  an  hour  before  this." 


CHAPTER  VI 

EARLY  IMPRESSIONS 

IF  there  is  in  this  world  a  case  in  which  greatly 
wronged  innocence  was  fully  sensible  of  the  wrong 
inflicted,  and  suffered  the  tortures  of  cruel  injus- 
tice from  infancy,  mine  is  that  case.  In  any  event, 
I  pray  God  that  if  others  have  been  subjected  to 
similar  injustice  they  may  have  been  spared  the 
knowledge  of  the  extent  of  such  injustice. 

From  information  given  to  me  in  childhood  and 
which  has  been  corroborated  in  later  life,  I  was 
committed  to  the  care  of  a  maid,  Esther  Norman, 
in  infancy  who  was  to  treat  me  as  her  own  son,  on 
the  understanding  that  I  was  never  to  be  informed 
of  my  true  parentage. 

This  plan,  I  understand,  was  adopted  by  my 
grandmother,  the  late  Queen  Victoria,  with  a  view 
to  suppress  all  knowledge  of  the  secret  marriage 
of  my  father  and  mother  and  to  protect  my  heart- 
broken mother  from  being  made  the  subject  of 
Court  scandal. 

That  the  outrage  thus  perpetrated  against  Eng- 
land's motherhood  and  against  the  state  and 
nation  utterly  failed  in  its  diabolical  purpose  is 
clearly  proved. 

40 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph  41 

In  the  first  place  the  fact  of  the  marriage  of 
my  father  and  mother  was  known  to  at  least  a 
number  of  persons;  and  the  true  love  affair  be- 
tween the  young  couple  was  known  throughout  the 
Kingdom.  Then  came  the  reaction  of  my  grief- 
stricken  mother.  Her  grief  over  the  double  separ- 
ation from  husband  and  babe  was  uncontrollable; 
and,  instead  of  resuming  her  place  at  Court,  she 
became  the  object  of  pity  of  the  nation  and  more 
particularly  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  castle  in 
which  she  lived.  Her  only  comfort  was  in  being 
alone  with  her  great  sorrow ;  with  Nature  and  with 
God.  Her  principal  exercise  for  years,  I  have 
learned  from  an  eye  witness,  was  walking  unat- 
tended in  the  castle  grounds.  The  daily  walks  of 
this  most  beautiful  lady  naturally  attracted  at- 
tention and  the  people  gave  their  sympathy,  the 
sympathy  of  womanhood  and  of  motherhood,  to 
the  royal  lady  who  was  known  throughout  the 
country  as  the  "  first  love  and  bride  of  the  Prince 
of  Wales  and  the  mother  of  the  missing  Prince 
John." 

Bobbed  of  her  only  child,  the  children  of  the 
village  gave  this  poor  mother  much  happiness. 
One  of  those  children,  now  a  woman  of  refined 
tastes,  Miss  Carmichael  (Bonnie),  whom  I  met  in 
1904  in  San  Francisco,  California,  related  to  me 
that  she  and  many  others  had  been  in  the  habit  of 
going  to  the  castle  "to  admire  the  beautiful  heart- 
broken lady"  upon  whom  they  all  looked  as  "their 
ideal  of  a  lady  and  a  Princess."  The  lady,  whose 
sorrow  was  known  to  the  children,  enjoyed  their 
visits  and  found  consolation  in  their  presence. 


48  Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

-•  Thus  it  proved  that  the  attempt  of  the  Sovereign 
to  destroy  the  evidence  of  the  love  of  a  wife  and 
mother  was  doomed  from  the  inception  of  the  plot 
to  ignominious  defeat.  The  nation  knew  the 
identity  of  my  father's  first  love,  but  in  loyalty 
to  the  Throne  respected  the  wishes  of  the  Sov- 
ereign and  of  my  mother's  family  in  sparing  that 
wounded  soul  as  much  as  possible  from  public 
gossip. 

It  was  decreed  by  the  Sovereign  that  I,  the 
issue  of  the  most  romantic  and,  withal,  the  most 
tragic  marriage  of  the  first  Prince  of  England  in 
modern  times,  should  be  removed  as  far  as  possi- 
ble from  the  environment  and  influence  of  the 
royal  Court,  in  order  that  the  characteristics  of 
race  transmitted  to  me  by  my  parents  might  be 
obliterated  if  possible  through  confluence  from  in- 
fancy with  influences  and  environments  of  an  en- 
tirely different  character. 

My  revered  grandmother  did  not,  I  believe, 
have  a  more  ardent  admirer  than  myself  of  the 
wisdom  and  justice  with  which  she  so  long  ruled 
her  vast  Empire.  My  admiration  for  her,  in  later 
life,  caused  me  to  stifle  the  bitterness  of  feeling 
which  I  entertained  toward  her  in  my  youth  and 
early  manhood,  for  her  crime  against  my  saintly 
mother.  Her  action,  however,  in  making  such 
disposition  of  an  innocent  infant  as  above  stated, 
is  one  thing  in  her  life  that  will  remain  with  me 
to  the  day  of  my  death  as  an  illustration  of  the 
weakness  of  the  sex.  When  actuated  by  jealousy, 
anger  or  desire  for  vengeance  her  good  judgment 
forsakes  her;  discretion,  logic  and  reason  give 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph  43 

place  to  blind  impulse  sometimes  dangerously 
near  insanity.  The  injustice  committed  against 
me  is  not  the  matter  to  which  I  have  reference; 
it  is  the  outrage  of  which  my  grandmother  was 
guilty  against  her  own  intelligence  which  I  can 
not  forget. 

In  her  normal  condition  the  Queen-mother  would 
not  have  been  guilty  of  committing  such  an  in- 
human crime  against  her  son  and  his  bride  and 
their  innocent  child,  much  less  would  she  have 
been  guilty  of  anything  so  illogical  as  to  sup- 
pose for  a  moment  that  the  identity  of  the  infant 
Prince  of  the  House  of  Guelph  could  be  obliterated 
by  placing  him  in  humble  surroundings  and  call- 
ing him  a  laborer.  As  well  might  she  have  taken 
the  foal  of  an  Arabian  thoroughbred  and  placed 
it  on  a  farm  and  called  it  a  cart-horse.  The  high 
pedigree  of  the  racer  would  be  the  more  striking 
by  contrast. 

The  confusion  of  mind  under  which  my  grand- 
mother acted  in  order  to  enforce  ultimate  obedi- 
ence to  her  own  plans  relative  to  the  matrimonial 
disposition  of  my  father  becomes  more  pronounc- 
ed when  the  irregularity  which  marked  the  separa- 
tion of  my  mother  from  her  royal  husband  is  con- 
sidered. I  am  reliably  informed  that  in  order  to 
suppress  from  the  public  the  knowledge  of  the  fact 
of  the  marriage  of  my  parents,  she  omitted  to  issue 
a  royal  proclamation  or  to  take  the  necessary  legal 
action  to  annul  their  marriage.  The  attempt  to 
thus  "hush  up"  a  legal  ceremony  has  led  to  polit- 
ical complications  now  that  the  question  has 
arisen  concerning  direct  legitimate  lineal  succes- 


44  Memoirs  o£  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

sion  to  the  throne.  But  upon  that  subject  the  writer 
has  nothing  to  say,  my  only  motive  in  alluding  to 
the  matter,  as  brought  to  my  attention,  being  to 
show  that  my  grandmother  did  not  act  with  her 
usual  good  judgment  in  having  disposed  of  my 
mother  and  myself  in  the  manner  in  which  she  did. 

Having  been  placed  with  a  foster  mother  as 
an  infant  my  memory  does  not  serve  to  give  the 
exact  date.  Esther  Norman  was  commanded  to 
have  me  baptised  in  the  name  of  John,  for  the  rea- 
son as  I  was  informed  in  1874,  that  the  name 
of  John  in  England  was  at  that  time  distasteful  to 
the  Eoyal  Family  because  of  King  John  I,  who 
signed  the  Magna  Charta  which  gave  to  the  people 
some  liberty  of  conscience  and  a  voice  in  the  gov- 
ernment of  the  realm.  To  the  Imperialists  this  was 
an  unpardonable  offense. 

It  was,  therefore,  decreed  by  the  autocracy  that 
no  other  John  should  reign  over  Great  Britain 
and  Ireland  lest  a  little  more  freedom  should  be 
given  to  the  people. 

The  Eoyal  Command  to  my  foster-mother  was 
not  obeyed.  In  1874,  Esther  Norman  informed 
me  that  she  had  not  carried  out  instructions  given 
in  reference  to  my  baptism;  that  I  had  not 
in  fact  been  christened  at  all,  for  the  reason,  as 
she  stated,  that,  while  she  had  consented  to  repre- 
sent herself  as  being  my  mother,  her  conscience 
would  not  allow  her  to  bear  false  witness  in  this 
respect  in  the  Church  and  before  God  in  a  re- 
ligious sacrament  of  such  importance  as  the  bap- 
tism of  the*  first-born  son  of  the  heir  apparent  to 
the  Throne  of  England. 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph  45 

I  was,  therefore,  in  the  ridiculous  position  of 
having  been  confirmed  by  the  Bishop  of  Lichfield, 
in  the  Cathedral  of  that  city,  1874,  without  having 
been  previously  baptised,  a  fact  which  I  only  dis- 
covered subsequent  to  my  confirmation. 

As  an  infant  I  was  placed  with  a  nurse  in  Ton- 
bridge,  Kent,  one  Mrs.  Nutley.  My  career  was 
nearly  brought  to  an  abrupt  and  violent  end  be- 
fore I  could  either  walk  or  talk.  A  nurse  girl, 
since  married,  named  Mrs.  Emma  B.  Curd,  in 
company  with  some  other  tomboys  of  the  neigh- 
borhood, climbed  upon  the  railway  wall  near  the 
Tonbridge  station  to  watch  the  workmen  employed 
on  construction. 

From  the  top  of  the  wall  to  the  tracks  below  is 
something  like  twelve  feet  or  more ;  for  some  un- 
explained reason  I  was  placed  upon  the  wall  and 
carelessly  dropped  by  the  nurse  onto  the  tracks 
below.  I  sustained  serious  injuries  from  the  fall, 
my  head  being  injured  by  coming  in  contact  with 
the  rail,  and  by  receiving  a  blow  from  the  pick 
of  a  workman,  who  had  it  raised  at  the  moment 
of  my  fall  upon  that  spot. 

The  man,  I  was  told,  tried  to  prevent  the  pick 
from  striking  me,  but  his  surprise  was  so  great 
at  my  appearance  there  that  he  dropped  the  pick 
sidewise  upon  my  head.  In  after  years  I  was  in- 
fofimed  that  I  was  taken  up  for  dead,  and  that  it 
was  later  thought  for  many  weeks  that  I  could  not 
recover. 

On  the  occasion  of  my  last  visit  to  London,  a 
refugee  from  the  San  Francisco  earthquake  and 
fire,  in  1906, 1  took  occasion  to  hunt  up  the  nurse, 


46  Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

Emina  Curd.  I  found  her  still  residing  in  the  town 
of  Tonbridge;  her  address  at  the  time  was  18 
Priory  Eoad,  where  I  believe  she  is  still  living. 
Not  having  seen  me  for  about  forty  years  and  hav- 
ing been  informed  that  I  had  died  many  years  ago, 
she  was  greatly  shocked  when  I  inquired  if  she 
remembered  Johnny  "Nutley"  whom  she  had 
nursed  as  an  infant. 

Throwing  up  her  hands  she  exclaimed:  "Do  I 
remember!  Can  I  ever  forget  as  long  as  I  live 
how  I  dropped  him  from  the  top  of  the  railway 
wall  under  the  workman's  pick,  and  we  thought 
he  was  killed." 

I  then  requested  her  to  place  her  hand  in  the 
depression  in  my  skull  caused  by  that  accident, 
which  more  than  convinced  her  that  I  was  the 
child  whom  she  came  so  near  to  killing.  Mrs. 
Curd  can  verify  the  above  statement  and  furnish 
more  particulars  relating  to  that  accident  than  I 
can  give. 

In  1907  I  also  traced  the  daughter  of  my  old 

nurse,  Emily  Nutley — now  Mrs. who  also 

remembers  the  above  accident.  She  remembered 
me  very  well  and  related  many  incidents  of  my 
childhood.  She  informed  me  that  her  mother  had 
died  four  years  previously,  about  1903.  She  had 
also  heard  that  I  had  been  dead  for  many  years. 

The  first  act  in  my  life  of  which  I  was  told,  is 
the  first  evidence  I  have  to  introduce  to  show  that 
the  plan  to  eradicate  the  traits  and  characteris- 
tics of  race  and  parentage  by  change  of  environ- 
ment was  doomed  to  failure.  The  incident  oc- 
curred in  Kent,  the  County  Seat  of  my  parental 


'Memoirs  of  Prince  John  \De  Guelph  47 

great  grandmother,  the  Duchess  of  Kent.  My  age 
at  the  time  can  be  ascertained  by  inference;  I  do 
not  remember  it.  My  foster-mother  had  just  ar- 
rived from  London;  I  was  on  the  floor.  With  all 
the  instinct  of  motherhood  at  her  command,  she 
approached  me  with  outstretched  arms  and  ma- 
ternal solicitude  for  the  purpose  of  taking  me  in 
her  arms.  ' t  Come  to  mamma,  baby,  come  to  mam- 
ma !"  resulted  in  such  a  manifestation  of  out- 
raged dignity  that  they  who  witnessed  it  repeat- 
edly reminded  me  of  it  for  many  years.  I  stormed 
at  her  as  only  injured  innocence  can  storm.  Every 
spark  of  energy  in  my  being  was  brought  into 
operation  in  violent  protest  against  the  claim  to 
maternal  relationship.  Finally,  rather  than  sub- 
mit to  dishonorable  surrender  I  entrenched  myself 
under  a  large  arm  chair  and  continued  an  unin- 
terrupted fire  of  shrapnel,  "not  mamma,  not  mam- 
ma!" until  the  false  position  of  motherhood  was 
no  longer  tenable. 

Had  it  not  been  for  the  fact,  as  above  stated, 
that  this  incident  was  frequently  related  to  me  in 
following  years  I  would  in  all  probability  have  had 
no  recollection  of  my  first  actual  battle  to  protect 
my  individuality. 

It  was  the  above  incident  which  later  led  to  my 
being  informed  of  my  parentage.  The  experience 
disconcerted  my  foster-mother  and  caused  her  to 
reflect  upon  her  position  and  my  possible  future. 
Indeed,  I  have  reason  to  believe  that  the  denial  of 
her  claim  of  maternal  relationship  to  me,  from  the 
lips  of  an  innocent  and  much  wronged  infant,  was 
largely  responsible  for  the  impressive  lessons 


48  ^Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelpli 

which  I  received  from  her  during  my  childhood 
and  early  youth  and  which  have  been  my  inspira- 
tion in  the  carrying  out  of  all  my  objects  and 
purposes  in  life. 


CHAPTER  VII 

EARLIEST  RECOLLECTIONS.      I  SNUB  MY  GRANDMOTHER 
THE  QUEEN — I  DECLARE  A  HOLY  WAR 

I  HAVE  now  to  relate  the  first  incident  of  which 
I  have  actual  recollection  in  my  life. 

Here  I  am  again  face  to  face  with  the  experi- 
ences of  my  childhood,  of  my  youth,  of  my  life — a 
horrid  nightmare  of  mental  anguish  and  torture  of 
my  soul,  which  seems  as  though  it  would  cause  my 
heart  to  break,  and  convulses  my  very  manhood 
with  emotion  that  will  not  be  silenced. 

I  would  to  God  that  I  had  not  been  born,  or, 
that  having  been  born-,  that  my  life  had  been  mer- 
cifully destroyed  ere  I  saw  the  light  of  day.  The 
people  of  England  can-  not  conceive  of  the  anguish 
of  my  soul.  I  have  passed  through  the  temples 
and  pagodas  in  India  and  have  actually  envied 
the  lepers  their  lot  as  they  sat  begging  on  the 
steps  of  the  sacred  shrine.  I  have  bathed  and 
dressed  the  leprous  sores  and  mutilated  limbs 
from  which  toes  had  been  eaten  away  by  that  most 
loathsome  of  diseases,  and  have  wished  the  while 
that  I  could  have  changed  places  with  one  of  them, 
until  checked  by  the  selfishness  of  the  thought,  as 
I  would  not  willingly  see  a  pariah  dog  endure  the 

49 


50  Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

life  that  had  fallen  to  my  lot.  My  duty  to  God 
and  to  humanity  demands  the  suppression  of  the 
emotions  and  of  sentiment.  I  must  go  on. 

The  spirit  of  England's  outraged  motherhood, 
and  the  spirit  of  tortured  innocence  for  forty- 
nine  years  stifled  by  the  agonizing  grief  of  broken 
hearts  burst  the  bonds  of  injustice  with  the  cry 

Dleu  et  mon  droit 

and 
May  God  Defend  the  Right. 

As  I  look  across  the  broad  expanse  of  the  Atlan- 
tic Ocean  and  see  the  Royal  Standard  floating  to 
the  breeze  from  the  tower  of  Buckingham  Palace 
and  flashing  in  the  sunlight  the  royal  motto  of  the 
Sovereign,  and  of  Englands  greatness,  I  can  not 
but  reiterate  the  prayer, 

May  God  Defend  the  Right. 

And,  yet,  again,  as  conveyed  in  an  anniversary 
greeting  to  my  father*  that  the  prayer  of  the  son 
might  be  the  prayer  of  the  father  to  mingle  at  the 
throne  of  the  King  of  Kings : 

"Give  the  King  Thy  judgment,  0  God,  and  Thy 
righteousness  to  the  King's  son;  He  shall  judge 
Thy  people  with  righteousness  and  Thy  poor  with 
judgment." 

The  voice  of  the  people  is  the  voice  of  God.  Let 
the  people  of  my  beloved  England  and  Ireland,  of 
Scotland  and  Wales,  of  the  British  Colonies  and 
Dominions,  the  people  of  long-suffering  India,  the 


Memoirs  of  Prmce  John  De  Guelph  51 

land  in  which  I  spent  so  many  years  of  my  volun- 
tary exile  that  I  might  be  permitted  to  emancipate 
them  from  the  horrors  of  famine  and  pestilence, 
the  people  of  Europe,  and  of  America,  the  great 
republic  of  the  United  States  under  the  courteous 
protection  of  which  I  have  sought  seclusion  and 
peace,  if  that  be  possible,  from  the  relentless  grief 
of  my  mother's  and  my  own  secret  sorrow,  read 
the  narrative  of  my  life,  of  my  experiences,  and 
of  my  unutterable  sufferings,  the  faint  tracing  of 
which  may  be  seen  in  crimson  stains  between  the 
lines  of  these  pages. 

Let  the  whole  world  read  and  suspend  its 
judgment  until  after  mature  deliberation  as  to 
whether  it  is  possible  that  the  fruits  of  my  life's 
work  are  calculated  to  promote  the  cause  of  uni- 
versal peace  and  of  prosperity.  If  that  be  the 
verdict  of  the  people,  what  I  have  to  give,  I  am 
prepared  to  give  freely.  I  ask  no  reward,  I  covet 
no  honor,  my  motive  in  life  is,  as  explained,  for 
God  and  humanity. 

The  experiences  which  I  am  about  to  relate  are 
responsible  for  the  course  which  I  have  pursued 
in  life ;  without  the  inspiration  which  impelled  me 
to  further  action  I  could  not  have  lived  and,  in 
spite  of  all  inspiration,  the  yearning  of  my  soul 
to  bring  honor  to  my  mother,  and  the  motive 
which  prompted  me  to  serve  suffering  humanity, 
no  man  ever  courted  death  so  long  and  so  earn- 
estly as  did  the  subject  of  this  biography. 

The  memory  of  the  first  incident  has  recurred 
to  me  many  million  times  in  the  past  forty-four  or 
forty-five  years,  but  never  has  the  prophetic  sig- 


52  Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guclph 

nificance  of  divine  retribution  attached  to  it  ever 
occurred  to  me  with  the  force  with  which  it  is  now 
impressed  upon  me.  Let  the  reader  bear  in  mind 
that  the  incident  referred  to  was  the  first  experi- 
ence in  my  life  of  which  I  have  any  absolute  recol- 
lection. 

The  town  of  Tonbridge  was  one  day  en  fete 
about  the  year  1864-5  (the  date  can  be  deter- 
mined and  the  story  verified  by  investigation)  the 
royal  train  in  which  Her  Most  Gracious  Majesty 
Queen  Victoria  was  traveling  was  to  stop  at  Ton- 
bridge  station.  The  town's  people,  young  and  old, 
in  gala  attire,  turned  out  en  masse  in  evidence  of 
their  loyalty.  There  was  great  excitement  in  the 
family  of  my  old  nurse,  as  indeed  there  was 
throughout  the  town. 

I  was  about  three  or  four  years  of  age  at  the 
time.  My  old  nurse,  who  had  carefully  prepared 
my  best  frock  and  other  articles  of  my  juvenile 
wardrobe,  called  me  to  be  washed  and  dressed  to 
"go  to  see  the  great  lady,  the  Queen,  who  lives 
in  the  big  palace  in  London. "  Then  came  the 
startling  revelation  which  pierced  the  heart  of  the 
child  through  and  through,  the  revelation  which 
has  caused  me  more  anguish  of  heart  than  any- 
thing and  everything  else  in  life.  ' l  The  great  lady, 
the  Queen,  is  Johnny's  grandma.  "Poor  Johnny 
can't  live  in  the  big  palace  in  London  like  grand- 
ma." Childish  questions  elicited  the  information 
that  "Johnny's  grandma  is  the  Queen  of  Eng- 
land"; that  "Grandma  does  not  love  Johnny's 
mamma";  "Johnny's  grandma  was  very  angry 
with  Johnny's  mamma  and  papa  and  would  not  let 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph  53 

mamma  live  in  the  palace";  and  that  "Grandma 
sent  Johnny  away  from  the  palace  and  from  his 
papa  and  mamma  to  live  with  nurse." 

My  nurse  was  surprised  at  the  effect  produced 
by  her  story  upon  my  young  mind.  She  had 
thought  that  I  would  have  been  pleased  to  go  to 
the  station  to  see  "the  great  lady,"  my  "grandma, 
the  Queen."  I  pondered  over  the  disclosure  made 
to  me  which  made  a  deep  impression  upon  me.  I 
refused  to  go  to  see  the  Queen.  She  had  been  angry 
and  cruel  to  my  mamma.  She  had  sent  my  mamma 
away  from  the  big  palace  in  London.  She  had 
taken  me  from  my  poor  mamma,  and  had  sent  me 
to  that  place  so  that  my  mamma  should  not  find 
me.  I  did  not  cry.  I  did  not  make  a  scene.  I 
decided  that  I  did  not  love  my  grandma,  and 
walked  into  the  street  that  I  might  be  alone  with 
my  first  great  grief  which  has  never  been  lifted 
from  my  weary  soul  in  all  my  wanderings. 

The  populace  began  to  throng  to  the  station 
hours  before  the  time  for  the  arrival  of  the  royal 
train.  The  houses  in  the  street  in  which  I  lived 
were  soon  deserted,  and  the  throngs  of  people 
passing  down  the  street  from  outlying  districts 
diminished  until  only  stragglers  passed  by.  At 
this  stage  I  became  the  center  of  public  interest. 
Many  ladies  expressed  surprise  at  my  having  been 
left  unattended;  and  many  stopped  to  speak  to 
me  about  the  "great  lady,  the  Queen";  and  not  a 
few  endeavored  to  persuade  me  to  go  with  them 
to  see  the  Queen,  feeling  that  I  ought  not  to  be 
left  alone  on  the  street,  promising  to  take  care  of 
me  and  to  bring  me  back  safely  to  "mamma." 


54  Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

How  many  times  in  life  have  I  recalled  those 
terrible  hours  and  thought  of  the  solicitude  of 
those  good  people,  and  wondered  what  they  would 
have  thought  could  I  but  have  told  them  the  pain 
that  their  kindness  and  sympathy  caused  me. 
How  the  oft-repeated  question  of  l  i  Where  is  your 
mamma  f ' '  stabbed  my  young  heart  until  my  grief 
became  unendurable.  Finally  I  was  alone,  except 
for  the  vast  concourse  of  people  which  I  could  see 
in  the  distance  and  the  hum  of  thousands  of  voices 
faintly  heard. 

I  was  alone.  The  multitude  might  have  been  off 
the  earth,  and  I  in  the  lonely  wastes  of  a  vast 
desert.  The  solitude  and  desolation  that  over- 
whelmed my  childish  heart  is  beyond  the  power 
of  expression  in  cold  hard-steel  type,  beyond  the 
power  of  expression  in  words  of  the  most  sympa- 
thetic soul  that  ever  breathed,  beyond  the  power 
of  expression  in  the  heart-broken  sobs  by  which 
I  am  convulsed  at  the  recollection  of  that  agoniz- 
ing experience  after  the  lapse  of  over  twoscore 
years.  By  the  language  of  silence — the  cry  of  the 
soul  to  the  Almighty  Father  alone  can  expression 
be  given  to  the  great  and  terrible  grief  wrought 
by  that  awful  experience — and  the  Almighty  Fath- 
er alone  can  conceive  of  the  enormity  of  the  suf- 
fering of  my  soul  at  that  hour,  and  through  the 
long  secret  sorrow  of  my  life. 

The  foregoing  incident  awakened  within  my 
childish  heart  a  sense  of  righteous  indignation 
which  changed  the  innocent  child  of  four  years 
into  a  being  of  more  mature  age.  The  problem  of 
my  life  weighed  heavily  upon  me,  and  serious 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph  55 

thoughts  of  the  ways  and  means  whereby  I  could 
right  the  wrongs  of  my  mamma,  were  she  still 
alive,  took  the  place  of  play.  I  went  every  day  to 
the  churchyard  a  short  distance  from  the  house 
in  which  I  lived,  and  spent  much  time  under  the 
shadow  of  the  church  and  in  walking  among  the 
graves.  I  felt  that  the  church  was  the  House  of 
God ;  that  God  was  my  heavenly  Father ;  and  that 
my  one  great  need  was  a  Father's  love  and  a 
Father 's  protecting  care.  The  graves  represented 
to  me  the  resting  place  of  the  bodies  of  the  people 
who  had  died  and  gone  to  heaven;  and  I  thought 
that  God  was  there  and  watched  over  the  graves. 
In  short,  the  churchyard  was  to  me  as  holy  ground 
in  which  I  could  walk  and  talk  with  God,  my 
Father.  I  used  to  ask  God  to  bring  my  mamma  to 
me;  then,  as  time  passed  and  she  did  not  come,  I 
thought  that  she  must  have  died  and  gone  to 
heaven;  so  I  asked  God  many  times  every  day  to 
take  me  to  my  mamma.  I  spent  much  time  in 
searching  for  her  grave  in  that  city  of  the  dead, 
that  I  might  lie  down  upon  it  and  die  that  I  could 
be  with  her,  for  life  without  her  was  too  terrible 
to  me  after  I  had  heard  that  my  grandmamma 
had  sent  her  away  from  the  big  palace  in  London. 
I  thought  of  her  as  being  very  unhappy,  if  she  was 
alive,  and  that  she  was  always  crying  for  me. 

After  many  weeks  of  vain  search  for  my 
mother 's  grave  I  concluded  that  she  was  not  dead. 
I  did  not  think  that  God  would  let  her  die  far  away 
from  me,  but  that  He  would  bring  her  there  if  she 
died.  I  felt  that  God  called  to  me  to  avenge  my 
mother's  wrong.  I  felt  that  I  must  go  out  into  the 


56  Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

world,  to  the  big  city  of  London  to  find  her,  to  fight 
for  her  and  to  make  her  happy.  I  would  go  to  the 
big  palace  and  see  my  grandmamma,  and  make  her 
tell  me  where  to  find  my  mamma ;  and,  if  she  would 
not  tell  me  I  would  blow  up  her  big  palace  and 
everybody  in  it. 

I  nursed  my  childish  grief  alone,  for  there  was 
no  friend  to  share  it  with  me.  The  world  had  been 
cruel  to  me  and  to  my  mother  and  I  resolved  that 
I  would  submit  to  no  more  injustice  with  impunity, 
but  that  I  would  fight  for  my  mamma  that  she 
might  be  taken  back  to  the  big  palace  where  she 
belonged,  as  I  had  been  told.  I  did  not  mind  being 
punished  when  I  was  disobedient,  but  to  submit  to 
unjust  punishment  only  to  be  kept  from  my  mam- 
ma was  another  matter. 

I  had  not  long  to  wait  for  an  opportunity  to  put 
my  childish  resolution  into  execution.  My  old 
nurse  frequently  found  errands  for  me  to  do, 
which  made  me  late  in  my  attendance  at  the  public 
school.  The  master  had  reprimanded  me  a  num- 
ber of  times  for  my  want  of  punctuality,  notwith- 
standing that  my  nurse  was  responsible  for  my 
irregular  attendance.  One  afternoon  I  went  to 
school  some  fifteen  minutes  late,  taking  with  me 
the  usual  note  of  "excuse";  on  presenting  it  to 
the  master  he  threw  it  away  and  said  he  would 
make  an  example  of  me;  I  should  receive  twelve 
lashes  of  the  cane,  six  in  each  hand.  I  was  made 
to  stand  for  some  time  before  the  class  as  an  ex- 
ample and  in  anticipation  of  punishment.  I  took 
the  thrashing  philosophically;  but  when  it  was 
over  I  decided  to  put  my  resolution  to  avenge  my 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  GuelpJi  57 

wrongs  into  practice.  A  few  seconds  after  the 
punishment  had  been  inflicted,  my  nurse  came  into 
the  school  hoping  to  save  me  from  such  unjust 
treatment ;  a  loyal  friend  had  run  from  the  school 
to  apprise  her  of  my  plight.  I  was  taken  home  by 
the  nurse,  who  dressed  my  welted  hands.  That 
done,  I  begged  permission  to  go  out,  a  request  that 
was  granted  under  the  circumstances.  I  lost  no 
time  in  arranging  my  plans  to  avenge  this  latest 
outrage  on  innocent  childhood ;  I  was  at  that  time 
still  in  frocks.  I  went  to  the  room  of  a  son  of  the 
house,  whom  I  knew  had  a  gun  and  sometimes  went 
shooting.  In  a  drawer  I  found  a  flask  of  powder, 
which  I  promptly  appropriated.  My  plan  of  at- 
tack having  been  decided  upon,  I  proceeded  to 
carry  it  out.  I  went  to  the  school  yard,  and  having 
located  the  position  occupied  by  the  master's  desk, 
which  was  near  the  wall  in  the  centre  of  the  build- 
ing, I  dug  a  hole  in  the  ground  to  the  depth  of  two 
bricks  with  an  old  knife  brought  for  the  purpose. 
I  then  charged  my  mine  with  the  powder  from  the 
flask,  set  the  fuse  which  I  had  prepared  from  darn- 
ing cotton,  and  filled  in  the  mine  with  the  earth 
previously  removed.  I  then  waited  to  hear  the 
master's  voice  from  his  desk;  the  moment  came  at 
last ;  I  fired  the  mine  by  setting  a  light  to  the  fuse, 
and  took  shelter  in  the  gateway  across  the  square, 
waiting  patiently  to  see  the  school  blow  up,  my 
thoughts  being  busy  in  the  meantime  planning  a 
similar  fate  for  the  big  palace  in  London. 

After  what  seemed  an  hour,  the  mine  exploded 
with  a  sh —  sort  of  sound,  gravel,  dust,  and  smoke 
went  up  in  the  air,  but  much  to  my  disgust  the  ex- 


58  Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

plosion  had  failed  in  its  purpose — the  schaol  still 
stood  as  ugly  as  ever. 

The  dismal  failure  of  my  well-conceived  plan  to 
begin  a  holy  war  against  those  who  had  been  guilty 
of  gross  injustice  to  my  dear  mamma  and  myself 
led  me  to  the  conclusion  that  I  was  not  quite  big 
enough  to  carry  out  such  a  campaign  by  myself. 
Profiting  by  my  experience,  I  assumed  the  role  of 
leader  among  the  boys,  organized  my  army  corps, 
and  thus  acquired  my  first  training  as  a  field- 
marshal. 

The  next  incident  within  my  recollection  and 
which  created  great  excitement  among  the  women 
present,  occurred  when  I  was  about  five  years  of 
age.  Two  ladies  came  down  from  London  to  see 
me.  On  the  way  from  the  railway  station  to  the 
house  of  my  nurse  they  saw  a  number  of  children 
playing  soldiers;  they  had  no  difficulty  in  recog- 
nizing in  the  youthful  commander  of  the  party 
storming  the  citadel,  the  child  whom  they  had  come 
to  see,  although  neither  of  them  had  seen  me 
before. 

Upon  their  arrival  at  the  nurse's  home,  I  was 
sent  for  to  be  presented  to  the  ladies.  On  entering 
the  house  I  firmly  refused  to  meet  the  ladies  until 
I  had  been  made  presentable  by  the  removal  of  all 
the  traces  of  my  recent  military  expedition.  My 
shoes  had  to  be  cleaned,  face  and  hands  washed, 
hair  curled,  and  my  robes  of  state  donned  in  honor 
of  my  fair  guests.  I  had  not  seen  the  ladies,  and 
wondered  if  it  were  possible  that  my  mamma  was 
one  of  the  party.  I  was  anxious  to  find  out,  but 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph  59 

etiquette  demanded  of  a  gentleman  that  he  must 
be  properly  groomed  to  receive  company. 

My  action  in  this  matter  caused  considerable 
comment,  which  was  continued  for  some  years. 
Being  so  particular  in  the  matter  of  one's  toilet 
was  "an  unmistakable  mark  of  high  birth." 
"Blood  will  tell,"  I  well  remember  having  heard 
repeatedly  in  the  discussions  over  such  trifling  in- 
cidents of  my  childhood.  "They  may  place  the 
children  of  royalty  and  nobility  out  to  nurse,  but 
they  can't  rob  the  innocent  babes  of  the  blue  blood 
in  their  veins  and  of  their  high-bred  manners." 
"You  can't  make  a  commoner  out  of  a  child  who 
was  born  a  prince." 


CHAPTEE  VIII 

A  PATHETIC   MEETING FRUITS     OF     SCARLET     SIN     OF 

ROYAL  COURT  VISITED  ON  SECOND  AND  THIRD 

GENERATIONS — WHY  KING  SOLOMON 

WAS   FAVORED   BY   GOD 

WHEN  about  five  years  of  age  I  was  removed 
from  Tonbridge  to  Snodland,  Kent,  where  I  was 
placed  with  a  married  sister  of  my  foster-mother, 
a  Mrs.  William  Diprose.  It  was  while  living  with 
this  family  that  my  foster-mother  took  me  to  Mall- 
ing  for  the  ostensible  purpose  of  paying  a  visit  to 
"a  lady  friend,"  but  whom  I  discovered  was  my 
own  mother.  "Her  friend,"  she  said,  had  ex- 
pressed a  desire  to  see  John,  and  that  she  wished 
me  to  accompany  her  when  making  the  call.  Un- 
usual care  was  bestowed  upon  my  toilet  before  set- 
ting out  for  our  destination.  When  en  route  my 
foster-mother  appeared  to  be  nervous  and  excited; 
she  frequently  readjusted  my  collar  and  groomed 
me  down.  On  arrival  at  the  house  at  which  her 
friend  was  calling,  the  final  touch  was  given  to  my 
toilet;  we  were  then  shown  up  to  the  drawing- 
room.  I  had  expected  that  my  foster-mother  would 
have  entered  the  drawing-room  to  greet  her  lady 
friend  and  then  to  have  introduced  me ;  instead  of 

60 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph  61 

which  she  placed  me  in  front  of  her,  laying  her 
two  hands  against  my  arms,  gently  pushed  me  for- 
ward into  the  drawing-room,  remaining  meanwhile 
in  the  doorway.  A  number  of  ladies  who  had 
risen  from  their  chairs  as  I  entered  the  room, 
stood  seemingly  at  a  loss  as  to  what  to  do.  One 
lady  who  had  approached  the  door  as  I  entered 
placed  her  hand  on  my  arm  and  greeted  me  in  a 
kindly  manner,  to  which  I  responded  quietly.  My 
attention  was  on  the  ladies  further  in  the  room. 
My  gaze  scanned  the  face  of  each  lady  from  left 
to  right  of  the  room  until  in  the  center  of  the 
party  my  eyes  looked  for  a  second  into  the  eyes  of 
a  lady,  eyes  which  spoke  to  mine  as  the  eyes  of  a 
tender,  long-suffering  love  only  can  speak.  Simul- 
taneously each  bounded  toward  the  other,  drawn 
by  the  irresistible  law  of  love.  In  the  center  of  the 
drawing-room  my  mother  lifted  me  up  in  her  arms 
and  embraced  me  as  I  was  never  embraced  before 
or  since.  The  memory  of  my  mother's  heart- 
breaking sobs  is  too  sacred  to  admit  of  publication 
to  an  unsympathetic  public.  I  offer  no  apology 
for  drawing  the  curtain  upon  what  was  at  once 
the  happiest  and  the  most  bitter  moment  of  my 
life.  I  refer  to  it  only  to  record  the  deep  effect 
which  the  bitter  anguish  of  my  mother 's  heart  pro- 
duced upon  me;  and  that  the  world  may  have  at 
least  some  conception  of  the  great  grief  of  my 
much  wronged  mother. 

While  my  mother  was  holding  me  tightly  to  her 
bosom,  in  a  paroxysm  of  grief,  I  was  greatly  dis- 
tressed at  the  evident  anguish  and  bitterness  of 
her  soul. 


62  Memoirs  of  Prmce  John  De  Guelph 

One  of  the  ladies  present  eventually  came  quietly 
forward  and  placing  her  arms  about  my  mother 
endeavored  to  console  her.  With  a  last  shower  of 
kisses  sealed  with  tears  of  a  broken  heart  my 
mother  put  me  down.  I  stood  for  a  moment  as  she 
was  led  to  a  chair.  I  then  said,  * '  Good-bye. ' '  Bow- 
ing myself  out  of  the  room,  I  resolved,  as  I  was 
leaving,  that  I  would  never  pain  her  again  with  my 
presence,  until  I  had  avenged  her  wrongs,  by  the 
achievement  of  some  great  work,  through  my  own 
personal  effort,  for  the  good  of  the  nation,  in  rec- 
ognition of  which  my  country  would  be  bound  to 
honour  her,  as  is  her  right  before  God  and  man. 

At  that  early  age  my  life  was  full  of  sorrow,  I 
had  been  subjected  to  unkind  treatment  from  the 
time  of  my  birth,  as  I  understand  that  I  was  taken 
from  my  mother  very  shortly  after  I  first  saw  the 
light.  I  was  certainly  subjected  to  unkind  treat- 
ment from  the  time  I  can  remember  up  to  the  time 
of  my  removal.  My  soul  yearned  for  my  mother, 
for  a  mother's  love  and  a  mother's  care.  The  af- 
fection bestowed  upon  other  children  by  their  par- 
ents tended  to  make  my  life  the  more  lonely. 

I  know  of  nothing  in  life  that  produces  in  all  the 
intensity  of  which  it  is  possible  to  conceive  the  an- 
guish and  bitterness  of  heart  which  may  be  de- 
scribed as  an  aching  void,  as  the  loss  of  a 
mother's  love  and  a  father's  care,  under  circum- 
stances such  as  those  by  which  I  lost  my  parents, 
unless,  indeed,  it  be  the  grief  of  a  distracted 
mother  robbed  of  her  child.  Under  natural  con- 
ditions or  causes  such  as  the  removal  of  parents 
or  children  by  death  we  become  reconciled  to  the 


Memoirs  of  Prince  Jo/in  De  Guel'ph  63 

loss,  knowing  that  our  loss  is  their  gain,  and  do 
not  suffer  as  keenly  through  such  bereavement  as 
when  the  thought  is  constantly  before  the  mind 
that  mother  and  father  have  been  cruelly  separ- 
ated from  each  other  and  from  their  innocent  and 
helpless  infant  under  the  most  distressing  cir- 
cumstances ;  and,  that  that  mother  is  grieving  as 
only  a  mother  can  grieve  under  the  burden  of  such 
a  terrible  and  unjust  fate;  and,  that  a  barbarous 
custom  of  royalty  renders  the  father  helpless  to 
protect  either  one  of  his  loved  ones, — the  so- 
called  royal  custom  of  morganatic  marriage — the 
scarlet  sin  of  royal  courts  and  the  plague-spot  of 
the  Christian  world  in  this  twentieth  century  of 
boasted  civilization  and  hypocritical  profession 
of  Christianity.  A  so-called  law  which  presumes 
to  make  null  and  void  the  law  of  Almighty  God  in 
the  divine  institution  of  holy  matrimony  when 
solemnized  without  the  sanction  of  the  earthly 
sovereign. 

When  it  is  remembered  that  in  lands  called 
"heathen,"  the  " ignorant, "  "superstitious,"  and 
"barbarous"  people  whom  we  unjustly  condemn 
as  being  ignorant  of  the  true  God  and  true  relig- 
ion (such  is  our  own  misconception  of  God  and 
religion),  treat  all  matters  relating  to  private  life 
with  a  reverence  and  sanctity  that  reduces  the 
standard  of  life  in  Christian  nations  below  the 
lowest  of  the  brute  creation  in  comparison.  Let 
the  reader  put  himself  or  herself  in  the  place  of 
the  writer,  not  that  I  would  have  them  experience 
the  torture  of  heart  and  mind  endured  by  me  for 
forty-nine  years,  but  to  take  a  sweeping  sketch  of 


64  Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  GuelpJi 

an  infinitesimal  portion  of  the  multitude  of  the 
trials,  sorrows,  and  experiences  of  that  period; 
and  then,  dear  reader,  imagine,  if  you  can,  what  it 
must  have  been  to  have  had  this  horrible  living 
picture  of  a  greatly  wronged  mother  constantly 
before  the  mind  for  over  forty  years. 

Let  us  visit  for  a  brief  space  the  continent  of 
Asia,  the  land  from  which  the  first  dawn  of  civili- 
zation broke  upon  us.  It  is  well  known  that  among 
the  peoples  of  that  continent  a  plurality  of  wives 
has  been  the  custom  from  the  most  ancient  time. 
The  children  of  kings  by  plural  wives  are  treated 
as  royal  princes,  and  in  every  way  enjoy  the 
rights  and  privileges  appertaining  to  birthright. 
The  same  thing  is  true  of  the  offspring  of  all 
classes  of  people.  Not  only  are  the  children  of 
plural  wives  thus  sacredly  honoured  and  pro- 
tected, but  the  same  is  true  of  the  natural  off- 
spring of  concubines  or  mistresses;  and  why 
should  it  not  be  so?  Shall  the  law  of  God  be  set 
at  naught  by  an  adulterous  and  hypocritical 
twentieth  century  Christian  community  by  shirk- 
ing the  responsibility  of  parentage,  and  laying 
claim  to  virtues  which  it  does  not  possess? 

Let  us  recall  to  mind  the  published  statement 
by  which  it  was  said  that  the  late  Queen  Victoria 
traced  the  genealogy  of  the  Eoyal  Family  of 
England  to  the  House  of  David.  Without  com- 
menting upon  the  private  life,  or,  in  modern 
phraseology,  the  morality  of  King  David,  it  may 
not  be  out  of  place  to  remember  that  the  lineal  de- 
scendant of  that  King  who  succeeded  to  the 
throne,  and  whom  God  abundantly  blessed  with 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph  65 

wisdom,  wealth  and  power  far  transcending  the 
glory  of  any  other  monarch  in  history,  enjoyed  the 
happiness  of  having  three  hundred  wives  and 
seven  hundred  concubines,  not  to  speak  of  the 
Queen  of  Sheba  and  other  beauties  not  included 
in  the  royal  household.  It  is  significant  that  the 
biblical  historian  in  writing  the  inspired  word  of 
God  did  not  hesitate  to  record  without  comment 
or  qualification  the  fact  that  the  number  of  King 
Solomon's  concubines  was  two  and  one- third  times 
greater  than  the  number  of  his  wives.  Evidently 
no  disgrace  in  the  sight  of  God  that  King  Solomon 
had  seven  hundred  concubines  in  addition  to  his 
three  hundred  wives.  The  reason  that  King  Solo- 
mon thus  enjoyed  God's  favor  was  because  he  was 
not  guilty  of  the  crime  of  repudiating  his  wives  or 
of  casting  off  his  offspring. 

If  the  geneaology  of  the  present  reigning  dy- 
nasty of  Abyssinia  is  to  be  accepted,  Emperor 
Menelick  is  the  direct  descendant  of  King  Solomon 
and  the  Queen  of  Sheba.  The  Emperor  of  Abys- 
sinia is  not,  therefore,  so  far  removed  in  relation- 
ship with  the  British  royal  family  as  the  latter 
is  removed  from  the  moral  and  sacred  responsi- 
bility of  parentage  to  legitimate  offspring,  when 
such  offspring  is  the  issue  of  a  marriage  con- 
tracted by  a  royal  prince  contrary  to  the  whim  or 
fancy  of  the  reigning  sovereign.  The  moral  re- 
sponsibility of  parentage,  whether  the  offspring 
be  by  plural  wives  or  concubines  is  still  religiously 
observed  in  other  branches  of  our  family,  branches 
not  yet  corrupted  by  the  influences  of  modern 
civilization  and  idolatry.  The  idol  of  self-right- 


66  Memoirs  of  Prmce  John  De  Guelph 

eousness  attributed  by  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  to 
the  Scribes  and  Pharisees  has  been  so  perfected 
by  the  embellishments  of  modern  social  etiquette 
and  a  false  conventionality  that  the  first  century 
hypocrisy  so  condemned  by  Jesus  Christ  becomes 
devout  piety  in  this  twentieth  century. 

We  will  now  examine  briefly  the  modern  genea- 
logical history  of  the  House  of  Guelph. 

King  William  I,  more  generally  known  as  Will- 
iam the  Conqueror,  it  is  recorded  is  the  progeni- 
tor of  the  Koyal  Family  of  Great  Britain,  for  the 
reason  that  the  Norman  invader,  having  been  pro- 
claimed King  after  the  conquest  of  England,  be- 
came the  first  sovereign  of  the  Norman  line;  but, 
presumably,  for  the  more  convenient  reason  that 
King  William  I,  the  progenitor  of  the  British 
Eoyal  Family,  was  the  natural  son  of  Robert  II, 
Duke  of  Normandy,  by  Herleva,  a  tanner's 
daughter. 

The  fact  that  the  Conqueror  was  the  illegitimate 
offspring  of  a  foreign  nobleman  is  somewhat  awk- 
ward to  record  in  plain  English,  but  is  most  grace- 
fully presented  in  the  symbols  of  heraldry.  It  is 
worthy  of  note  that  the  illegitimacy  of  William 
I  of  England  and  the  fact  that  his  mother  was  of 
plebian  birth  did  not  debar  him  from  the  rights 
of  recognition  as  a  nobleman,  from  the  rights  of 
conquest,  or  from  being  proclaimed  the  King  of 
England. 

My  mother's  ancestors,  who  came  in  the  train 
of  William  the  Conqueror,  were  of  equally  noble 
lineage  as  that  of  the  Conqueror's  father,  and  had 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph  67 

no  such  record  of  illegitimacy  as  in  the  case  of 
their  Boyal  Commander. 

The  history  of  England  is  blurred  by  the  record 
of  bloody  crimes  against  members  of  the  Eoyal 
Family,  and  by  the  shadow  of  still  darker  deeds 
recorded  only  in  the  " Great  Book"  of  the  King 
of  Kings. 

The  crimes  of  Henry  VIII  in  disposing  of  his 
wives  by  divorce  and  by  execution  were  acts  oi 
justice  and  mercy  when  considered  in  the  light  of 
the  inhuman  treatment  meted  out  to  my  dear 
mother,  who  was  torn  from  the  arms  of  her  hus- 
band without  cause  and  without  any  pretense  of 
legal  process.  The  only  effort  made  was  to  sup- 
press the  knowledge  of  her  marriage  from  the 
public. 

The  various  consorts  of  King  Henry  VIII  were 
at  least  accorded  the  honor  due  to  their  high  sta- 
tion while  it  lasted ;  and  they  were  finally  removed 
by  some  show  of  legal  formality;  their  children 
were,  moreover,  recognized  as  princes  of  the 
blood  royal,  and  were  decorated  accordingly  with 
princely  honours. 

In  the  case  of  Henry  VIII  it  must  have  been  ap- 
parent that  the  disposition  made  by  him  of  his 
first  and  second  consorts  revealed  the  true  charac- 
ter of  the  man,  and  that  each  succeeded  consort 
went  to  her  fate  with  her  eyes  more  widely  open  to 
the  probability  of  her  doom  than  her  predecessor 
had  done. 

Let  my  readers  now  consider  for  a  moment  the 
case  of  my  own  father,  who,  as  it  is  well  known, 
loved  and  loved  deeply  and  truly  the  first  and 


68  Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

only  bride  of  his  choice.  That  that  love  was  a 
sacred  and  undying  love  in  the  heart  of  the  young 
prince  is  known  by  those  who  read  the  handwrit- 
ing on  the  wall,  described  by  the  late  Prince  Con- 
sort as  "a  trying  time  for  the  Royal  Family  at 
home"  in  the  summer  of  1860,  when  the  Prince  of 
Wales  was  sent  to  Canada ;  and  by  those  who  have 
knowledge  of  the  domestic  infelicity  which  marked 
the  Royal  Household  from  the  year  1863. 

That  that  first  love,  the  cruel  wrecking  of  which 
wrecked  the  life  of  my  father,  was  recipro- 
cated by  the  bride  of  his  choice,  was  generally 
known  to  the  older  generation  and  to  their  own 
generation  throughout  the  United  Kingdom  and 
Europe.  Public  sympathy  has  been  with  the 
greatly  wronged  Princess  Consort  in  her  unceas- 
ing bitterness  of  life  during  the  past  forty-nine 
years  of  her  voluntary  exile. 

In  justice  to  the  United  Kingdom  of  Great  Brit- 
ain and  Ireland  and  to  the  honor  of  the  Empire,  I 
am  happy  to  record  that  the  barbarous  morganatic 
marriage  custom,  which  applies  to  some  countries 
on  the  continent  of  Europe,  does  not  apply  to  the 
Royal  Family  of  England. 

There  is,  therefore,  no  reason  why  the  people 
of  the  United  Kingdom  of  Great  Britain  and  Ire- 
land, and  of  the  possessions  beyond  the  seas 
should  countenance  or  tolerate  the  practice  of 
bigamy  or  the  repudiation  of  lawful  wives  and  the 
disfranchisement  or  disinheritance  of  legitimate 
offspring  by  Princes  or  by  Sovereign  of  the  Brit- 
ish Empire,  a  practice  which  is  not  only  repugnant 
to  the  tenets  of  the  Christian  Faith,  of  which  the 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph  69 

Sovereign  is  the  "Defender,"  and  revolting  to 
every  moral  sentiment,  but  which  is  abhorred  as  a 
barbarous  and  inhuman  custom  by  the  vast  ma- 
jority of  the  subjects  of  the  great  British  Empire, 
whom  a  self-righteous  and  bigoted  Christian  com- 
munity are  pleased  to  term  "heathen," — our  loyal 
and  faithful  subjects  of  the  Empire  of  India ! 

What  shall  we  say  of  the  Christians  of  the  Brit- 
ish Empire  if  they  longer  countenance  or  tolerate 
the  scarlet  sin  of  royal  polygamy  by  princes  of  the 
Reigning  House,  a  sin  which  is  abhorred  by  their 
three  hundred  million  fellow  subjects, — Moham- 
medan, Buddhist,  Hindu  and  Zoroastrian? 

What  shall  we  say  of  the  Christians  of  the  Brit- 
ish Empire  if  they  fail  to  demand  justice  for  the 
disfranchised  eldest  legitimate  son  and  heir  of 
their  late  Sovereign,  His  Majesty  King  Ed- 
ward VII,  the  Prince  John  Eex  et  Imperator  de 
jure? 


CHAPTER  IX 

A    SERIES   OF    AMUSING   AND   PAINFUL   INCIDENTS— 
I  KEMOVE  TO  LICHFIELD,  STAFFORDSHIRE 

AFTER  about  a  year  in  Snodland,  I  was  again 
returned  to  the  tender  care  of  Mrs.  Nutley,  in 
Tonbridge,  where  I  remained  until  I  was  about 
eight  years  of  age. 

It  was  during  my  second  residence  in  Ton- 
bridge  that  I  was  once  more  reported  dead.  I  had 
gone  in  company  with  another  boy  to  a  pond 
called  Osborn's  Pit.  An  attempt  to  wade  through 
eighteen  feet  of  water  proving  futile,  my  com- 
panion waited  until  he  saw  me  disappear  below 
the  surface  of  the  water  and  then  ran  away  and 
reported  me  drowned.  A  searching  party  went  out 
and  dragged  the  pit  from  about  12  o'clock  noon 
until  the  next  morning;  Mrs.  Nutley,  her  two  sons, 
William  and  David,  and  her  daughter  Emily  with 
Emma  Curd  returned  home  about  3.30  A.  M.  Mrs. 
Nutley  came  into  my  bedroom  wailing  frantically 
and  threw  herself  upon  her  knees  by  my  bed,  cry- 
ing out,  "What  will  become  of  me!  My  poor 
Johnny,  the  dear  child,  is  dead." 

The  girls  came  into  the  bedroom  to  take  Mrs. 
Nutley  away  when  the  trio  screamed  in  chorus — 
"Why  there  is  Johnny  in  bed." 

70 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph  71 

She  eventually  somewhat  recovered  her  com- 
posure, only  to  promptly  faint  on  discovering  me 
in  bed. 

I  distinctly  remember  the  look  of  horror  on  my 
companion's  face,  a  boy  about  my  own  age,  Ted 
Saxby,  as  he  turned  and  fled  from  the  scene  as  my 
face  once  more  came  to  the  surface.  I  managed 
to  clutch  some  briars  that  were  running  from  the 
bank  some  distance  into  the  water  and  drew  my- 
self ashore.  I  do  not  remember  just  how  long  I 
was  lying  at  the  foot  of  the  steep  bank,  as  I  lost 
consciousness.  Upon  recovering  consciousness  I 
crawled  up  to  the  top  of  the  bank  where  I  found 
my  shoes  and  socks,  but  my  companion  was  no- 
where in  sight.  I  called,  but  there  was  no 
response. 

I  left  the  scene  and  went  into  a  neighboring 
hay-field,  where  hay-making  was  going  on,  and 
rolled  in  the  hay  as  a  means  to  recuperate  from 
the  effects  of  the  dipping  and  at  the  same  time  to 
dry  my  clothes.  Not  caring  to  venture  home,  as 
I  was  supposed  to  be  drowned,  I  remained  with 
the  hay-makers  until  they  left  off  work  in  the 
evening.  The  hay-makers  adjourned  to  a  public 
house  on  leaving  the  field  and  invited  me  to  ac- 
company them,  an  invitation  which  I  readily  ac- 
cepted, as  it  afforded  me  the  time  necessary  to 
wait  for  the  people  to  go  to  bed  before  I  would 
venture  home.  We  remained  in  the  tap-room 
drinking  beer  and  amusing  ourselves  by  shooting 
out  the  gas  at  which  sport  I  became  quite  proficient 
before  leaving  the  "pub"  at  "turning  out  time." 

I  was  at  that  time  about  seven  years  of  age, 


73  Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

and  afforded  the  hay-makers  much  amusement 
by  my  marksmanship  with  the  gun  in  shooting  out 
the  gas  every  time  I  fired. 

I  then  paraded  the  church  yard  for  an  hour  or 
more  thinking  it  still  too  early  for  the  folks  at 
home  to  be  asleep.  Some  time  after  midnight  I 
made  my  way  through  the  kitchen  window  to  bed, 
thinking  myself  very  clever  in  having  got  in  with- 
out arousing  any  one  from  their  slumbers. 

It  transpired,  as  stated  above,  that  the  people 
were  not  asleep  but  still  dragging  the  pit  a  few 
miles  away. 

It  was  not  long  after  the  drowning  accident  that 
I  was  finally  removed  from  Tonbridge  to  return 
to  Snodland.  In  1869  Mrs.  Diprose,  my  nurse, 
died.  A  peculiar  circumstance  in  connection  with 
her  death  and  illness  may  be  related  in  the  inter- 
est of  psychologists: 

I  knew,  of  course,  that "  Aunty"  (as  I  was  taught 
to  call  her)  was  ill.  I  did  not,  however,  know 
the  nature  of  her  illness.  The  small  thatched 
house,  in  which  we  were  living  in  this  village  was 
of  the  old  fashioned  kind  with  diamond  shaped 
window-panes, having  a  very  fine  grape  vine  spread 
over  the  back  and  side  walls.  The  stairway  was 
situated  in  the  kitchen  with  a  door  at  the  bottom 
which  was  kept  closed. 

One  morning  I  was  sitting  in  the  old  arm-chair 
by  the  fire-place  and  facing  the  stairway  door. 
By  the  side  of  the  door  stood  an  old  "Grand- 
father's" clock  which  had  done  service  for  genera- 
tions. The  clock  gave  the  warning  to  strike  the 
hour  of  10  A.  M.;  at  the  same  moment  the  stair 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph  73 

door  was  opened  by  Elizabeth,  the  fourth  of  the 
seven  daughters  of  Mrs.  Diprose,  who  had  just 
come  down  from  her  mother 's  room.  As  the  door 
opened  I  looked  up  at  Elizabeth  and  before  she 
could  step  from  the  lower  steps  to  the  floor,  I 
burst  into  tears. 

Elizabeth,  surprised  at  this  sudden  and  unex- 
pected outburst,  said,  "Whatever  is  the  matter, 
Johnny?"  Pointing  to  the  clock,  I  said,  "Aunty 
is  dying." 

Elizabeth  replied, ' '  No,  no,  mother  is  not  dying. 
She  is  much  better  this  morning.  You  must  not 
cry." 

I  protested,  saying  that  her  mother  would  die 
when  the  clock  struck  10. 

Elizabeth  replied,  ' '  Nonsense,  I  have  just  raised 
mother  up  in  bed.  She  is  quite  easy." 

Pointing  to  the  clock,  I  said,  "When  the  clock 
gave  warning  to  strike  something  told  me  that 
Aunty  will  die  as  the  clock  strikes  ten. ' ' 

The  girl,  terror-stricken  at  my  emotion  and  the 
manner  in  which  I  had  informed  her  of  my  pre- 
monition, turned  and  ran  upstairs ;  she  arrived  at 
her  mother's  bedside  just  in  time  to  support  her 
mother  on  her  arms  as  she  sank  back  dead  as  the 
clock  was  striking  the  hour. 

On  my  return  to  England  from  India  in  1894,  I 
looked  up  the*  Diprose  family  and  found  Eliza- 
beth the  happy  mother  of  a  number  of  children 
living  at  Lamberhurst  in  Kent.  I  asked  her  if 
she  remembered  the  incident  above  related,  in  or- 
der to  satisfy  myself  that  it  was  not  an  imagina- 


74  Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

tion  conjured  up  in  childhood  and  exaggerated  by 
reflection  in  after  life. 

Elizabeth  informed  me  that  she  remembered  the 
incident  perfectly  well  and  had  often  wondered 
how  the  premonition  of  her  mother's  death  came 
to  me  in  such  a  remarkable  manner. 

I  may  relate  an  amusing  incident  which  occurred 
during  my  last  sojourn  with  the  Diproses.  Mr. 
Diprose  was  working  in  the  harvest  field.  I  was 
sent  to  him  on  an  errand  and  remained  for  some 
time  playing  about.  The  men  struck  work  for 
dinner  and  invited  me  to  join  them  in  their  re- 
past. 

This  was  no  champagne  banquet,  but  ale,  bread 
and  cheese  and  fat  pork.  Not  being  partial  to 
either  fat  pork  or  cheese,  strong  enough  to  walk, 
the  only  thing  on  the  bill-of-fare  of  which  I  would 
partake  was  the  beer. 

As  the  harvest  field  has  a  tendency  to  sharpen 
the  appetite  I  partook  somewhat  heartily  of  the 
"Malt  Extract. "  Some  time  after  this  repast 
"Uncle"  Diprose  suggested  that  I  had  bet- 
ter go  home  and  requested  me  at  the  same 
time  to  take  a  large  basket  of  potatoes 
which  he  had  procured  from  the  neighbor- 
ing farm  house.  I  proceeded  on  my  homeward 
journey  laboring  under  my  double  load  of  Malt 
Extract  and  potatoes.  After  having  struggled 
along  for  some*  three-quarters  of  a  mile  over  the 
stubble  of  the  harvested  wheat  field,  my  course 
thence  on  for  another  mile  lay  between  two  stands 
of  wheat;  the  path  being  about  a  foot  wide  at  the 
base  and  very  uncertain  and  uneven  at  the  top; 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph  75 

nothing  more  or  less  than  a  rough  ridge.  I  well 
remember  the  brave  effort  I  made  to  maintain  my 
balance  on  this  razor-back  ridge.  In  the  even- 
ing of  that  day  when  " Uncle"  William  Diprose 
was  wending  his  way  homeward  along  this  self- 
same path,  he  was  startled  to  observe  that  some- 
body had  been  planting  potatoes  about  one-half  of 
the  distance,  but  a  greater  surprise  was  in  store  for 
him  on  finding  that  the  potato  scattering  terminat- 
ed abruptly  with  about  a  peck  and  a  half  scattered 
in  a  small  circle  like  a  punctuation  mark.  He 
thought  it  a  "full"  stop  and  began  to  investigate. 
He  found  his  potato  basket  lying  upside  down  a 
few  feet  from  the  path,  and  a  break  in  the  wheat 
led  him  to  believe  that  further  investigation  on 
his  part  would  lead  to  some  further  discovery. 

Some  three  or  four  yards  further  in  the  wheat 
he  discovered  me  "dead  to  the  world,"  the  heat 
of  the  harvest  field  and  alcoholic  poisoning  had 
rendered  me  unconscious.  "Uncle"  William 
placed  me  in  his  potato  basket  and  carried  me 
home  and  called  in  a  doctor;  restoratives  were 
duly  administered  and  I  was  not  much  the  worse 
for  my  experience. 

Having  been  very  delicate  as  a  child  it  was 
thought  by  my  foster-mother  that  life  on  a  farm 
would  be  beneficial  to  my  health.  During  the  two 
or  three  last  years  of  my  stay  at  Snodland  I 
worked  on  the  farm,  but  the  long  hours  and  insuffi- 
cient rest  tended  to  further  impair  rather  than  im- 
prove my  health. 

At  the  age  of  twelve  it  was  decided  that 
it  was  time  for  another  change  of  scene.  On 


76  Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

the  14th  of  February,  1873,  I  was,  accord- 
ingly, -sent  as  a  novel  valentine  to  a  brother 
of  my  fostermother,  a  Mr.  George  Norman,  of 
Lichfield,  Staffordshire.  I  can  not  say  that  the 
idea  of  this  change  appealed  to  me  in  any  way 
from  the  time  it  was  suggested.  Notwithstanding 
that  it  was  not  always  pleasant  to  a  child  of  eight 
to  ten  years  of  age  to  be  routed  out  of  bed  at  three 
o'clock  every  morning  to  trudge  off  two  or  three 
miles  to  commence  his  early  labors  of  farm  work 
by  five  A.  M.,  and  that  this  experience  was  the 
more  difficult  by  reason  of  the  fact  that  I  was  fully 
cognizant  of  my  identity  and  that  my  proper  place 
at  such  hours  was  to  be  snugly  tucked  away  in  a 
comfortable  bed  in  a  palace ;  I  had  adapted  myself 
to  the  modest  environments  and  had  learned  to 
love  the  girls  of  the  family,  as  also  their  father. 

I  had  a  presentiment  that  the  proposed  change 
to  Lichfield  would  not  be  agreeable  to  me. 

Having  been  deprived  of  the  love  and  care  of 
my  mother  and  father,  it  was  hard  to  be  repeatedly 
deprived  of  such  affection  as  was  accorded  to  me 
by  the  different  families  with  which  I  was  placed 
as  a  child  only  to  go  again  among  strangers. 

On  being  sent  to  Lichfield  I  explained  to  my 
foster-mother  and  also  to  her  brother  that  this 
life  of  being  kicked  about  from  "pillar  to  post," 
thus  depriving  me  of  any  lasting  human  friend- 
ship, was  too  much  for  my  sensitive  nature,  and 
that  I  intended  henceforth  to  make  my  own  way 
in  the  world. 

I  would  go  to  work  and  earn  my  own  living. 
While  at  that  time  I  was  obliged  to  live  with  my 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph  77 

guardian,  I  started  to  work  at  the  Priory  for 
Squire  Brown.  My  work  there  was  to  take  care 
of  eight  cows,  assist  in  the  dairy  and  incidentally 
in  the  stables. 

I  soon  became  expert  in  the  task  of  milking  my 
eight  cows  and  quite  enjoyed  such  good  company. 
With  the  exception  of  a  little  red-and-white  vixen 
the  rest  of  the  happy  family  bestowed  upon  me 
as  great,  if  not  greater,  affection  than  I  had  re- 
ceived at  the  hands  of  any  members  of  the  human 
family. 

On  my  first  introduction  to  the  red-and-white 
cow  in  question,  I  sought  to  gain  her  confidence  by 
kindness  and  gentle  treatment.  It  had  been  cus- 
tomary to  strap  her  legs  and  bar  her  in  during 
the  process  of  milking.  This  treatment  I  con- 
demned as  cruelty  to  animals.  Acting  upon  this 
conscientious  conviction,  I  took  my  milk  can  and 
stool  and,  dispensing  with  the  restraining  straps 
and  the  rail,  proceeded  to  milk  my  pet. 

The  freedom  of  action  in  her  legs  and  body  dur- 
ing the  performance  of  this  maternal  function  evi- 
dently took  her  by  surprise,  as  some  minutes 
elapsed  before  she  availed  herself  of  the  privilege 
thus  accorded  her.  In  due  time,  however,  she 
came  to  a  full  realization  of  her  advantage  and  of 
the  fool-hardiness  of  her  latest  "calf,"  and  pro- 
tested vigorously  against  the  ribs  of  her  inno- 
cent victim. 

Possibly  the  only  other  evidence  at  present  ob- 
tainable of  that  amusing  incident  would  be  the 
mark  on  the  corner  of  the  cow-shed  against  which 
my  aerial  flight  was  abruptly  terminated,  unless 


78  Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

Squire  Brown,  or  some  of  the  household  can  still 
be  found  to  corroborate  the  story. 

I  was  obliged  to  part  from  my  pets  after  an  ac- 
quaintance of  only  a  few  months  in  consequence 
of  my  health. 

While  strong  and  healthy  as  an  infant,  I  was  in 
very  delicate  health  for  many  years  after  having 
been  dumped  over  the  railway  wall  in  the  first 
year  of  my  existence.  It  was  the  opinion  of 
medical  men  then  that  with  my  skull  crushed  in 
I  could  not  live  many  months,  and,  as  time  went 
on  they  declared  I  could  not  be  reared  to  the  age 
of  twelve  years.  It  was  not  surprising,  therefore, 
that  I  should  have  suffered  from  the  effects  of 
having  been  so  nearly  drowned. 

I  was  quite  ill  for  some  time  following  this  ac- 
cident. 

I  suffered  a  good  deal  also  with  my  eyes;  the 
trouble  being  attributed  to  my  having  taken  a 
severe  cold  through  the  ducking  and  remaining 
in  my  wet  clothes. 

This  trouble  with  my  eyes  continued  for  some 
years.  At  the  age  of  twelve,  shortly  after  my 
change  of  residence  and  guardians,  from  Kent  to 
Staffordshire,  in  the  city  of  Lichfield,  it  was  fear- 
ed that  I  would  lose  my  sight.  I  suffered  from  a 
very  severe  attack  of  ophthalmia. 

I  was  placed  under  the  treatment  of  a  noted 
Birmingham  oculist,  as  an  out-patient  of  the  Bir- 
mingham Eye  and  Ear  'hospital.  I  well  remember 
my  first  visit  to  that  institution.  My  condition  was 
so  serious  that  it  was  not  deemed  advisable  that 
I  should  make  this  short  journey  of  a  couple  of 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelpli  79 

hours  by  train  in  one  day.  I  was  accordingly 
sent  to  Walsall,  only  a  few  miles  from  Lichfield, 
one  afternoon,  where  I  was  met  by  the  late  Sister 
Dora,  who  took  me  to  the  Cottage  Hospital  of 
which  she  had  charge. 

Sister  Dora  treated  me  with  the  kindness,  gen- 
tleness and  loving  sympathy  of  a  mother.  I  was 
in  great  agony  from  the  pain  in  my  eyes,  but 
I  felt  that  I  could  cheerfully  suffer  a  great  deal 
for  the  privilege  of  being  for  a  few  hours  under 
the  care  of  this  saintly  woman,  who  was  my  ideal 
of  a  ministering  angel  from  the  Almighty. 

The  following  morning  I  was  put  on  the  train 
for  Birmingham  only  a  few  miles  distant  from 
Walsall.  On  reaching  that  town  I  made  my  way 
unattended  to  the  hospital.  I  will  not  torture  my 
readers  with  the  horrid  details  of  the  treatment  or 
suffering  I  endured  during  the  months  that  I  at- 
tended that  institution. 

Suffice  it  to  say  that  my  case  necessitated  an 
increased  supply  of  leeches  to  the  hospital  and 
that  I  furnished  nourishment  to  a  thousand  and 
more  of  these  blood  suckers. 

Seemingly  fearful  lest  my  blood  supply  should 
prove  insufficient  for  the  ever-increasing  number 
of  leeches  to  gorge  themselves  upon,  the  doctor 
filled  me  up  with  cod-liver  oil  to  such  an  extent 
that  I  ultimately  took  to  the  sea. 

Following  the  leeches  the  doctor,  evidently  bent 
upon  increasing  the  mortality  of  the  hospital,  ran 
setons  through  my  temples  to  keep  up  the  suppura- 
tion, following  this  up  with  the  probing  of  the  eyes 


80  Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

and  the  application  of  poisons  which  only  in- 
creased nay  suffering. 

In  later  years  I  reflected  with  feelings  of  right- 
eous indignation  on  this  system  of  treatment  and 
the  painful  difficulties  under  which  I  had  to  grope 
my  way  alone  through  the  streets  of  a  strange 
town  from  the  hospital  to  the  station,  suffering  un- 
speakable torture  of  both  body  and  mind.  The 
agony  of  one  of  the  most  painful  afflictions  of  the 
body  that  it  is  possible  to  bear,  and  deprived 
of  sight,  a  helpless  boy  of  twelve  years,  I  was 
buffeted  about  by  the  crowd  and  congested  traffic 
in  that  busy  manufacturing  center  of  the  " black" 
country.  The  torture  of  my  body  was,  however, 
not  to  be  compared  with  that  of  my  mind  which 
was  overwhelmed  with  grief  through  the  knowl- 
edge of  my  painful  position :  the  grandson  of  the 
Queen  of  England,  the  first-born  son  of  the  Prince 
of  Wales,  Prince  of  the  blood  royal,  deserted  and 
cast  adrift,  blind  and  helpless  to  struggle  alone 
through  dangers  that  threatened  my  life  at  every 
step. 

My  mind  at  that  time  was  pre-occupied  with 
thoughts  such  as  experienced  by  one  at  the  point 
of  death.  Years  of  suffering  had  robbed  me  of 
the  joys  of  childhood,  my  thoughts  were  those  of 
a  maturer  being. 

I  was  carried  in  thought  to  the  palaces  to  see 
my  royal  grandmother,  whom  I  could  not  help 
but  despise ;  I  could  see  my  father  and  the  woman 
who  had  displaced  my  own  beautiful  mother;  I 
could  see  my  half-brothers  and  sisters  gamboling 
in  luxury;  I  could  see  my  broken-hearted  mother 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph  81 

as  she  walked  alone  in  the  grounds  of  the  old  Scot- 
tish Castle  where  Queen  Mary  had  spent  much  of 
her  time.  The  only  rift  in  the  dark  clouds  of  my 
suffering  was  the  pleasure  of  meeting  Sister  Dora 
and  the  fond  recollections  of  her  loving  sympathy 
and  caress.  A  statue  has  been  erected  in  Walsall 
to  the  memory  of  Sister  Dora.  It  is  the  one  statue 
in  England  which  in  my  opinion  should  have  been 
made  of  gold. 

At  the  end  of  about  six  months'  treatment  the 
condition  of  my  eyes  was  much  worse  than  when  I 
commenced  treatment,  and  hopes  of  saving  my 
sight  had  been  despaired  of.  At  this  juncture  I 
contemplated  very  seriously  upon  the  prospects 
of  my  future  life.  Was  it  not  enough  that  I  had 
been  cruelly  cast  adrift  and  that  my  mother  was 
pining  in  solitude  bereft  of  both  her  husband  and 
child;  must  the  greatest  of  all  afflictions,  blind- 
ness, be  added  to  the  already  bitter  cup  of  the  un- 
Christian  and  barbarous  acts  of  my  Queen  and 
grandmother?  Hitherto,  most  of  my  time  had 
been  spent  in  a  darkened  room  and  under  a  large 
table  with  a  spread  reaching  nearly  to  the  floor  to 
further  protect  my  eyes  from  the  little  light  that 
penetrated  the  humble  apartment.  The  torture 
of  mind  and  body,  the  gross  injustice  and  neglect, 
at  length  became  intolerable,  and  I  sought  the  soli- 
tude of  the  fields,  where  I  might  be  alone  with  my 
Heavenly  Father.  I  spent  many  hours  lying  on 
the  grass  in  deep  meditation  and  prayer.  I  found 
that  the  soft  green  of  the  grass  was  more  sooth- 
ing to  my  eyes  than  was  the  darkness  and  im- 
pure atmosphere  of  my  room. 


82  Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

One  morning  I  threw  myself  upon  the  grass  in 
a  field  in  which  I  saw  numerous  plants  having  deli- 
cate bird's-eye  flowers  and  small  leaves  of  a  dark, 
soft  green. 

Placing  my  face  close  to  the  plant,  I  soon  ob- 
served that  it  produced  a  most  soothing  effect 
upon  my  eyes.  I  was  immediately  impressed  to 
tear  out  the  setons  from  my  temples,  to  throw 
away  my  medicines  and  to  substitute  the  treat- 
ment before  me  for  the  barbarous  treatment  which 
I  had  been  undergoing.  I  tore  the  plants  up  by 
the  roots,  filled  my  pocket  handkerchief  and  my 
pockets  with  them  and  returned  home.  I  went  to 
the  kitchen,  washed  the  plants  thoroughly,  put 
them  into  a  saucepan  with  water  and  proceeded 
to  brew  my  decoction,  much  to  the  amazement  and 
alarm  of  Mrs.  Norman,  the  wife  of  my  guardian. 

She  remonstrated  with  me  in  vain:  "You  will 
blind  yourself,"  she  said.  "You  may  poison 
yourself  and  die,"  and  such  like  expostulations. 

I  replied  that  "Dr.  Solomon,  with  all  his  wis- 
dom, was  certainly  making  me  blind,  and  that  he 
had  expressed  the  opinion  that  I  could  not  live." 
This  I  had  overheard  him  tell  my  guardian. 

I  told  her  that  I  was  not  prepared  to  go  through 
life  blind;  and  that  I  intended  to  live  to  make  a 
home  for  my  mother,  to  show  my  grandmother 
that  I  did  not  want  her  support  and  that  I  could 
become  a  greater  man  without  her  aid  than  I  would 
become  if  coddled  up  in  the  palace  where  I  could 
learn  nothing  of  the  world. 

When  my  guardian  returned  from  work  in  the 
evening,  I  had  already  applied  my  home-made 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelpli  83 

" lotion"  to  my  eyes  several  times  with  consider- 
able benefit.  He  was  dumbfounded  when  I  told  of 
my  act,  and  inquired  why  I  had  torn  the  setons 
from  my  temples.  I  informed  him  that  I  had 
torn  them  with  a  single  jerk  instead  of  torturing 
myself  morning  and  night  to  tear  them  out  by  de- 
grees. 

I  further  explained  that  I  was  not  going  to  see 
Dr.  Solomon  again. 

At  bedtime  I  applied  the  leaves  from  my  decoc- 
tion as  a  poultice  to  my  eyes.  Each  day  I  gathered 
a  fresh  supply  and  made  a  fresh  decoction.  After 
about  a  fortnight's  treatment  my  eyes  were  strong 
and  well. 

I  remember  having  heard  my  guardian,  when 
speaking  of  this  unusual  experiment,  remark  that 
it  was  the  most  wonderful  thing  he  had  ever  seen 
or  heard  of  in  all  his  travels  during  his  twenty- 
one  years'  service  in  the  army.  He  said:  "Mur- 
der will  out.  They  talk  of  the  King's  touch  for 
the  'King's  evil;'  I  do  believe  that  this  boy  must 
have  it  in  him  or  he  would  never  have  done  such 
an  extraordinary  thing." 


CHAPTER  X 

CHAFING    UNDER    THE    INJUSTICE    OF    MY    DISINHERI- 
TANCE  AND  RESTRAINT  IN   MY  FALSE   POSITION   I 
THROW  OFF  THE  YOKE  AND  GO  INTO  THE 
WORLD — A  MAN  AMONG  MEN 

IT  was  in  my  thirteenth  year  that  my  foster- 
mother  showed  greater  anxiety  than  usual  over 
my  refusal  to  study.  She  promised  to  give  me,  as 
pocket  money,  one  guinea  for  each  copy-book  that 
I  could  fill  in  a  year;  and  estimated  that  I  ought 
to  fill  three  or  four  books  a  week,  and  she  had  a 
gross  of  assorted  books  sent  to  me,  in  addition 
to  books  on  arithmetic,  history,  geography,  etc. 

By  way  of  encouragement  she  impressed  upon 
me  very  seriously  my  duty  as  a  Prince  to  qualify 
myself  for  the  "  exalted  station  to  which  my  coun- 
try would  some  day  call  me,"  and  pointed  out 
the  advantages  of  the  practical  education  possible 
to  me. 

Having  already  repudiated  the  miserable  pit- 
tance allowed  for  my  support  and  education,  and 
having  gone  to  work  to  earn  my  own  living  rather 
than  accept  their  miserable  "mess  of  pottage,"  I 
naturally  failed  to  "bite  at  the  cherry"  offered 
me  with  the  copy  book. 

Needless  to  say  that  at  the  end  of  the  year  I  had 
not  earned  a  single  guinea  by  the  art  of  the  pen. 

84 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelpli  85 

If  I  had  the  ability  to  earn  my  own  living  under 
circumstances  so  far  removed  from  those  to  which 
I  was  born,  i.  e.,  in  the  stable  and  cow-shed,  I  con- 
cluded that  I  was  also  capable  of  exercising  and 
developing  the  intelligence  transmitted  to  me  by 
my  royal  parents  and  long  line  of  cultured  ances- 
tors. 

My  next  position  was  with  W.  H.  Tanner  & 
Co.,  wholesale  and  retail  grocers  of  Lichfield, 
where  I  became  somewhat  familiar  with  the  art  of 
the  confectioner  and  the  ^counter-jumper." 

I  also  had  some  experience  of  the  business  of 
the  traveler,  as  it  was  my  duty  to  drive  out  to  all 
the  neighboring  towns  with  the  traveling  sales- 
man several  times  a  week. 

Another  position  held  in  Lichfield  was  with 
William  Norman,  the  wholesale  draper. 

My  principal  duty  there  was  to  attend  in  the 
shop ;  accompany  the  outside  salesman  three  times 
a  week  on  our  various  routes.  There  being  nine 
different  routes,  we  covered  each  route  only  once 
in  three  weeks,  which  made  these  trips  more  inter- 
esting than  more  frequent  visits  would  have  been, 
as  our  sweethearts  in  the  various  towns  had  time 
to  feel  our  absence  and,  naturally,  were  always 
looking  forward  to  our  coming. 

Still  another  experience  was  in  the  shop  of  Mr. 
Simpson  the  shoemaker,  where  I  learned  to  both 
mend  and  make  shoes,  and,  at  the  same  time,  de- 
veloped athletic  tendencies  in  the  way  of  riding 
the  " flying  horse,"  the  principal  sport  of  the  hard- 
working cobbler. 

The  novel  sport  of  the  "flying-horse"  not  be- 


&6  Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

ing  much  understood  by  others  than  the  members 
of  our  " fraternity,"  I  may  enlighten  my  readers 
on  this  exciting  experience — the  first  time  that  the 
secret  has  been  made  public.  The  pedigree  of  the 
' '  flying-horse "  can  not  be  traced  to  the  thorough- 
bred Arabian  steed  or  to  the  English  racer.  It 
is  a  species  peculiar  to  the  steed  of  the  shoe- 
maker 's  shop. 

To  bring  the  "flying-horse"  to  perfection  for 
animated  action,  two  holes  are  bored  in  the  seat 
of  the  cobbler's  bench  about  an  inch  and  one-half 
apart  and  a  groove  in  the  seat  cut  out  from  hole 
to  hole  large  enough  to  admit  of  a  strong  waxed 
end  operating  without  obstruction.  A  cobbler's 
needle  of  some  three  inches  is  then  threaded  with 
a  waxed  end  of  suitable  length  to  reach  around  the 
room;  the  needle  is  then  placed  eye  downward 
through  one  of  the  holes  in  the  seat,  the  point  be- 
ing flush  with  the  top.  The  other  end  of  the 
thread  is  then  passed  along  the  groove  and  down 
through  the  opposite  hole,  passing,  generally,  from 
the  back  of  the  seat  along  by  the  wall  like  a  tele- 
phone wire,  but  concealed.  The  end  of  the  thread 
is  within  reach  of  the  operator  in  some  other  part 
of  the  room.  The  whole  staff,  including  employ- 
ers and  employees,  having  found  some  excuse  for 
visiting  the  work  room,  the  operator  pulls  the 
thread  or  bridle  of  the  "flying-horse"  with  a  jerk 
which  springs  the  needle  up  the  one  hole  penetrat- 
ing the  breech  saddle  of  the  novice  rider,  who  in 
turn  parts  company  with  the  needle  by  a  dexterous 
vault  into  space.  My  experience  in  this  feat  broke 
the  previous  records  of  the  sitting  high- jump.  By 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph  87 

the  time  he  descends  from  the  ceiling  the  "  flying- 
horse  "  and  its  equipment  have  disappeared. 

I  next  entered  the  railway  service  as  a  clerk, 
in  1874.  I  was  at  that  time  chafing  under  the  re- 
straint of  my  guardians  and  was  consequently  very 
unhappy  for  the  reason,  as  some  may  understand, 
that  where  a  child  is  under  the  guardianship  of 
strangers  the  dutiful  affection  that  would  be 
natural  from  a  child  to  its  parents  and  vice  versa 
is  lacking. 

I  told  my  guardian  on  several  occasions  that  I 
would  not  submit  to  this  treatment  but  would  start 
out  into  the  world  that  I  might  enjoy  the  independ- 
ence that  one  is  entitled  to  in  life. 

My  guardian  expressed  himself  that  it  might  do 
me  good  to  have  a  taste  of  the  world,  but,  that  if 
I  should  leave  his  protection,  he  was  sure  that  a 
few  days'  experience  in  the  cold  world  would  be 
quite  enough  to  bring  me  back. 

In  the  month  of  March,  1876,  I  told  them  one 
evening  that  I  intended  to  leave  the  next  day.  The 
following  day  I  left  home  without  taking  a  change 
of  linen  or  clothes  or  so  much  as  a  clean  pocket 
handkerchief.  I  left  in  my  office  suit.  I  chose  this 
course  for  the  reason  that  I  feared  that  if  I  took 
my  belongings  they  would  be  apprehensive  about 
me  and  think  that  I  was  going  for  good,  which 
might  be  rather  awkward. 

I  purchased  a  railway  ticket  to  Birmingham  and 
was  seen  to  leave  by  train  for  that  city.  I  had 
selected  a  compartment  in  which  there  was  no 
other  passenger.  When  the  train  was  well  out 
of  Lickfield,  I  opened  the  door  of  the  compart- 


88  Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

ment,  stepped  out  onto  the  step,  closed  the  door 
and  dropped  off  of  the  rapidly  moving  train. 

Picking  myself  up  from  the  bottom  of  the  bank, 
where  I  had  rolled,  I  went  across  fields  and  finally 
struck  the  road  leading  to  Derby  and  Nottingham. 
I  walked  to  Derby  that  day  and  the  following  even- 
ing arrived  at  Nottingham  with  about  two  shillings 
in  my  pocket.  I  put  up  at  a  hotel  on  the  station 
road,  paying  eighteen  pence  for  my  bed  and  four 
pence  for  a  glass  of  beer  and  bread  and  cheese. 
My  exchequer  being  now  down  to  two-pence  it  was 
imperative  that  I  obtain  employment  forthwith.  I 
got  up  at  2.30  A.  M.  and  by  three  o'clock  was  out 
looking  for  work.  I  found  a  coffee  stand  owned  by 
a  man  named  Jackson.  He  was  blind.  This 
poor  fellow  I  learned  had  been  a  stocking  maker 
and  had  lost  his  sight  in  the  factory.  He  was  a 
devout  Methodist,  and  had  his  coffee  stand  to  sup- 
ply factory  hands  going  to  the  factory  in  the  early 
hours  of  the  morning  and  the  night  shifts,  etc.  I 
thought  that  I  would  invest  in  a  cup  of  coffee  for 
a  penny,  which  I  did.  The  blind  man  treated  me 
cordially  and  inquired  if  I  did  not  want  a  bun  also. 
I  replied  that  I  did  not,  that  it  was  rather  early 
for  breakfast,  and  that  I  only  wanted  a  cup  of 
coffee. 

He  invited  me  to  sit  down  in  his  coffee  stand  and 
insisted  upon  my  having  a  bun  with  my  coffee,  re- 
fusing payment  for  the  bun.  The  blind  man  knew 
every  one  of  his  customers,  man,  woman  and  child. 
He  also  knew  that  I  was  a  stranger  in  that  town. 
He  inquired  what  I  was  doing  out  so  early.  I 
told  him  that  I  was  out  looking  for  work,  at  which 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph  89 

he  smiled  kindly,  and  said,  "three  o'clock  in  the 
morning  is  rather  early  to  start  out  to  look  for 
work.  It  is  useless  for  you  to  go  to  any  place  on 
that  errand  before  eight  or  nine  o'clock."  He  in- 
vited me  to  remain  with  him  until  that  time  and 
offered  to  go  with  me  to  see  if  he  could  help  in 
securing  me  a  place. 

He  said  that  he  supposed  that  I  had  run  away 
from  home  but  that  he  did  not  wish  to  ask  any 
questions  about  me  or  my  people  and  would  help 
me  in  any  way  possible.  I  accepted  his  invitation 
with  thanks  and  at  eight  o'clock  assisted  in  taking 
down  the  booth,  packing  away  his  coffee  urns, 
etc.,  and  wheeling  the  same  to  his  house  where  I 
was  introduced  to  his  aged  mother  and  invalid 
sisters,  whom  this  poor  blind  man  was  supporting 
by  his  coffee  stand.  I  was  made  quite  at  home  by 
this  good-hearted  family  and  after  breakfast  start- 
ed out  in  company  with  the  blind  man  in  quest  of 
work.  He  suggested  looking  through  the  papers 
to  see  if  I  could  find  a  congenial  position  ad- 
vertised. I  concluded  that  this  would  be  a  waste  of 
time  as  any  position  that  I  might  wish  to  apply 
for  would  require  a  character,  which,  under  the 
circumstances,  I  could  not  produce.  I  explained  to 
Mr.  Jackson  that  I  was  half  Irish  and  that  like  a 
certain  Irishman  I  had  once  heard  of,  who,  when 
being  asked  for  his  character,  vainly  searched  his 
pockets  and  then  innocently  replied,  "An',  faith, 
sor,  I  have  lost  it."  Mr.  Jackson  readily  agreed 
with  me  that  under  the  circumstances  it  would  be 
advisable  to  apply  for  work  in  some  of  the  fac- 
tories, which  we  accordingly  did.  He  led  the  way 


90  Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

to  Cox's  lace  factory,  the  manager  of  which  was 
a  woman.  Mr.  Jackson  went  in  and  saw  this  good 
lady  and  commended  me  to  her  motherly  sympa- 
thy. I  was  then  called  in  and  informed  that  I  could 
have  a  position  in  the  factory  at  fourteen  shillings 
a  week. 

Being  asked  when  I  would  like  to  commence,  I 
replied  "that  I  would  start  at  once."  I  was  ac- 
cordingly introduced  in  the  "drying  room"  and 
started  to  work.  I  boarded  with  the  blind  man  and 
his  family. 

Work  became  short  in  the  factory  a  few  weeks 
later  and  as  hands  were  out  on  half  time  I  accord- 
ingly sought  another  position.  Seeing  a  place  ad- 
vertised at  Gilliver's  Hotel  and  confectionery,  I 
applied  for  the  position,  relying  on  my  former 
experience  in  that  line  to  favor  me  in  my  applica- 
tion. I  got  the  job.  Some  three  months  later  while 
out  making  the  early  morning  purchase  in  meat, 
for  pork  pies,  etc.,  I  looked  through  the  advertise- 
ments in  the  morning  paper  and  saw  a  position 
advertised  for  a  billiard  marker  in  the  Caledonia 
Hotel,  ten  shillings  a  week,  board,  lodging  and 
washing.  This  was  considerably  better  than  the 
job  I  held.  I  called  on  my  way  back  with  my  bas- 
ket on  my  arm  to  apply  in  person  for  the  position. 
The  proprietor  appeared  to  be  amused  and  pleased 
with  my  timely  appearance  and  smiled  at  the  man- 
ner in  which  I  had  presented  myself.  He  told 
me  that  I  could  have  the  position,  providing  my 
present  employers  would  recommend  me  and  that 
he  wished  me  to  start  as  early  as  possible.  Need- 
less to  say  the  recommendation  was  all  right  and 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelpli  91 

that  my  employers  were  pleased  to  know  that  I  had 
an  opportunity  to  better  myself,  and  said  that  I 
could  go  at  once  as  the  Caledonia  was  without  a 
boy,  but  I  declined  to  leave  them  until  they  had  se- 
cured the  services  of  another  boy  to  take  my  place. 
This  was  readily  done  and  I  started  upon  my  new 
position.  I  knew  nothing  about  "  grooming "  bil- 
lard  tables,  my  work  in  that  line  having  been  with 
cows  and  horses.  However,  the  billard  tables  were 
perfectly  harmless  and  so  I  entered  upon  my  task 
of  brushing  and  ironing  without  fear.  I  enjoyed 
the  work  and  also  the  pay  and  very  soon  became  so 
proficient  in  that  game  that  I  seriously  contem- 
plated challenging  the  champion  of  England  to  a 
game  of  one-thousand  up. 

Some  six  months  later  another  opening  occurred 
for  advancement  which  was  at  the  Eoyal  Hotel, 
just  across  the  street  from  the  Caledonia. 

I  secured  the  position  and  was  doing  very  well. 
I  had  joined  the  Good  Templars  and  otherwise 
tried  to  improve  my  time.  Mr.  Thomas  Beckett, 
as  the  name  implies,  was  a  good  Irishman,  and 
all  the  employees  of  the  hotel  were  Irish,  with  the 
exception  of  myself,  who  was  taken  for  a  full- 
blooded  Englishman.  Fear  of  betraying  my  iden- 
tity caused  me  to  suppress  the  real  Irish  part  of 
my  nature,  which,  however,  would  persist  in  bob- 
bing up.  There  was  one  incident  through  which 
my  Irish  descent  was  nearly  betrayed. 

I  was  the  youngest  member  of  the  staff,  a  deli- 
cate boy  of  fifteen  and  a  half  years.  The  head 
1 '  Boots ' '  was  a  big  raw-boned  fellow  with  the  map 
of  Ireland  well  defined  on  his  features  and  the 


92  Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

ancient  Gaelic  infliction  apparent  in  his  every 
utterance. 

One  afternoon  I  ventured  to  play  a  practical 
joke  upon  him,  which  he  resented.  He  turned  upon 
me  saying,  "Ye  spalpeen  ye,  I'll  be  afther  boxing 
yer  ears" — and,  suiting  the  action  to  the  word, 
raised  his  hand  to  carry  out  his  purpose.  Before 
he  could  get  in  the  slap,  he  lost  his  own  wits  from 
the  shock  received  from  a  lightning-like  pummel- 
ing  about  his  own  sweet  countenance  and  spare- 
ribs.  Seizing  a  carving  knife  from  the  table  he 
came  after  me  to  cut  out  my  "English  heart." 
Upon  this  demonstration  of  Irish  hostility,  I  went 
at  him  in  real  earnest,  declaring  that  I  was  a  bet- 
ter Irishman  than  the  whole  d — d  outfit  of  them. 
He  went  over  the  table,  upset  a  few  chairs  and 
broke  up  the  crockery  and  created  such  a  racket 
in  general  that  Beckett  and  the  whole  household 
rushed  into  the  room  to  ascertain  the  cause  of  the 
tumult  and  dismantling  of  the  kitchen. 

When  they  saw  the  "  Boots  "  kicking  and  squirm- 
ing on  the  floor  trying  to  free  himself  from  the 
wreckage,  and  I  standing  over  him  promising  to 
repeat  the  punishment  if  he  did  not  behave  him- 
self, everybody  roared  at  the  ludicrous  situation 
of  the  victorious  youngster  standing  over  the  van- 
quished giant. 

Some  weeks  after  my  arrival  in  Nottingham  the 
Jacksons  informed  me  that  they  had  seen  an  ad- 
vertisement in  a  newspaper  about  a  boy  of  my  age 
and  description  who  had  run  away  from  home  and 
that  they  were  wondering  if  I  was  the  boy. 

I  told  them  that  there  were  many  boys  like  me 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph  93 

and  I  had  no  doubt  many  had  run  away  from  home 
as  I  had  done.  I  did  not  think  that  there  was  any 
one  sufficiently  interested  in  me  to  offer  a  reward 
for  my  return.  On  the  contrary  I  thought  that  if 
my  people  got  an  inkling  that  I  had  any  idea  of  re- 
turning they  would  be  more  likely  to  offer  a  re- 
ward for  me  to  stay  away.  They  decided  that  it 
was  not  worth  while  informing  about  me. 

I  was  not  to  be  allowed  to  remain  long  unmolest- 
ed. I  had  been  in  Nottingham  about  eighteen 
months  when  one  morning,  as  I  was  passing 
through  the  market  place,  I  looked  into  a  draper's 
shop  and  saw  standing  behind  the  counter  and  star- 
ing at  me,  a  salesman  who  had  been  formerly  em- 
ployed at  Norman's  shop  in  Lichfield.  Placing 
one  hand  upon  the  counter,  he  was  over  in  a  twin- 
kling and  making  for  the  door.  When  he  got  out- 
side I  was  nowhere  to  be  seen.  A  fortnight  later 
I  was  walking  along  the  Trent  side  to  take  my 
morning  dip.  I  had  proceeded  about  a  mile  along 
the  bank  of  the  river  when  I  saw  my  friend  of 
the  counter  approaching  from  the  opposite  direc- 
tion in  company  with  a  couple  of  friends.  With  a 
hedge  on  one  side,  the  river  on  the  other  and  no 
convenient  corners  to  dodge  around  or  alley-ways 
in  which  to  lose  myself  as  on  the  previous  occa- 
sion, there  was  nothing  for  it  but  to  face  the  music. 
When  we  met  he  asked  me,  "What  are  you  doing 
here?" 

I  replied  that  I  was  about  to  take  my  morning's 
dip.  He  seemed  annoyed  and  said  sharply,  "I 
mean,  what  are  you  doing  in  Nottingham?"  to 
which  I  truthfully  replied,  "I  am  not  in  Netting- 


94  Memoirs  of  Prmce  John  De  Guelph 

ham."  He  then  inquired  if  he  had  not  seen  me 
passing  his  shop  in  the  market  place  a  fortnight 
ago. 

I  told  him  that  it  was  quite  possible,  as  I  came 
into  Nottingham  on  market  days.  He  informed 
me  that  he  had  telegraphed  to  my  " uncle"  at 
that  time,  who,  he  said,  had  been  looking  me  up 
in  Nottingham  but  having  failed  ta  trace  me  had 
returned  home. 

In  reply  to  further  inquiries  made  for  the  pur- 
pose of  informing  on  me,  I  told  him  that  I  had  been 
apprenticed  to  a  carpenter  in  Beeston  some  three 
miles  from  Nottingham. 

Taking  in  my  dress,  gold  watch  and  chain  and 
other  articles  of  jewelry,  he  said,  "  You  don't  look 
much  like  a  carpenter's  apprentice.  I  am  going 
direct  to  the  telegraph  office  to  wire  for  your 
' uncle.'  " 

I  told  him  that  he  might  save  himself  the  trouble 
and  the  other  people  the  annoyance,  as  I  was  going 
off  to  the  training  ship  that  morning,  having  en- 
listed in  the  Marines.  I  turned  up  the  lapel  of  my 
coat  but  failed  to  find  the  "ribbons"  to  corrobor- 
ate my  statement  and  explained  that  "I  must  have 
left  them  with  the  sergeant." 

I  informed  him  that  my  gala  attire  was  my 
"Sunday  best,"  donned  in  honor  of  my  last  day 
as  a  civilian. 

This  all  seemed  plausible  enough,  but  he  did  not 
believe  it  and  my  pleasant  life  with  the  Beckett's 
and  in  Nottingham  was  destined  to  be  cut  short 
that  evening.  I  was  playing  a  billard  match  at 
the  Eoyal  in  the  early  evening  of  that  day,  at  the 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph  95 

conclusion  of  which  I  heard  a  familiar  voice  behind 
me,  saying,  "Well  done,  John !  I  did  not  know  that 
you  were  a  champion  billiard  player.  But  now 
this  sort  of  game  has  to  stop.  You  have  to  go 
home  with  me  to-night.  Why  did  you  run  away 
from  Mr.  Bradbury  when  he  saw  you  pass  by  his 
shop  a  fortnight  ago?" 

I  replied  that  "Not  having  seen  Mr.  Bradbury  I 
did  not  run  away  from  him.  Possibly  I  was  turn- 
ing a  corner  at  the  time  when  he  says  he  saw  me, 
or,  he  may  not  have  seen  me  at  all.  Had  he  seen 
me  on  the  market  place,  it  is  strange  that  I  should 
have  vanished  into  thin  air  while  he  was  getting 
to  the  door.  As  to  returning  home  with  you,  I 
can  not  do  so,  for  the  reason  that  I  am  employed 
here,  doing  well  and  quite  happy  in  my  own  way." 

He  said,  "That  has  already  been  arranged.  I 
have  spoken  to  Mr.  Beckett  and  explained  to  him 
that  I  am  your  lawful  guardian  and  have  come 
here  to  take  you  home.  It  is  only  left  to  you  to 
put  on  your  hat  and  say  good-bye." 

Finding  that  protestation  was  useless  and  that 
I  must  once  more  have  my  painful  position  forced 
upon  me,  a  child  without  parents7  love  or  care, 
robbed  of  my  own  home  and  of  my  rights  as  a 
legitimate  child  in  a  Christian  nation,  to  be  again 
obliged  to  become  a  wanderer  on  the  face  of  the 
earth  rather  than  return  to  environments  which 
were  so  obnoxious  to  me,  I  invited  my  friends  to  a 
private  room  to  take  a  light  repast  before  leaving. 
I  excused  myself  that  I  might  go  and  pack  my  lug- 
gage. This  I  had  the  "Boots"  place  in  a  cab,  and, 


96  Memoirs  of  Prmce  John  De  Guelph 

having  wished  the  Becketts  * '  good-bye, ' '  returned 
to  the  room  to  see  how  my  guests  were  faring. 

In  reply  to  the  question  as  to  whether  I  was 
nearly  ready,  I  explained  that  I  was,  and  would 
now  see  that  all  my  traps  were  brought  down 
from  my  room.  Closing  the  door  and  gently  turn- 
ing the  key  on  the  outside,  I  stepped  into  the  wait- 
ing cab  and  drove  with  my  luggage  to  the  Lion 
Hotel. 

I  saw  the  " Boots"  there  and  asked  him  to  take 
care  of  my  traps.  I  slept  in  his  room  that  night, 
leaving  town  early  the  next  morning,  once  more 
riding  "Balaam's  Ass"  in  preference  to  risking 
my  precious  body  near  any  railway  station  to  be 
unceremoniously  packed  off  to  Lichfield. 

Having  left  all  my  baggage  with  the  "Boots" 
at  the  Lion  Hotel,  I  was  once  again  out  in  the 
world  without  a  change  of  garments.  I  went  to 
Newark,  and  early  the  following  morning  I  made 
my  way  towards  London,  not  knowing  what  to  do 
or  where  to  be  safe  from  molestation. 

I  made  up  my  mind  to  go  to  the  metropolis  and 
try  to  locate  my  mother.  I  had  proceeded  only 
a  few  miles  when  I  came  across  a  gang  of  navvies 
working  on  a  new  railroad  cutting.  I  stopped  and 
watched  the  men  at  work  for  a  few  minutes.  Here, 
I  thought,  was  an  opportunity  for  me  to  lose  my 
identity  and  to  safely  evade,  at  least  for  some 
time,  the  search  which  I  knew  would  be  made  for 
me. 

Nobody  would  think  of  looking  for  me  working 
as  a  "navvy"  with  pick  and  shovel  in  cutting  out 
a  roadbed. 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph  97 

I  immediately  inquired  for  the  foreman  and  ask- 
ed for  the  job.  He  looked  me  up  and  down  with  a 
broad  grin,  and  then  said,  ' '  Let  me  see  them  aris- 
tocratic hands  of  yours." 

I  turned  them  up  for  him  to  see,  upon  which  he 
ejaculated,  "I  be  d — d  if  they  aren't  as  soft  as 
silk!  I  know'd  you  hadn't  done  any  hard  work, 
but  I  be  hanged  if  I  thought  ye  had  hands  as  soft 
as  a  lady's.  I  guess  ye  must  need  a  job  awful  bad 
to  want  to  tackle  this.  The  pay  is  five  'bob'  a  day. 
You'll  have  to  pay  eighteen  pence  for  the  pick  and 
shovel,  but  you  can  turn  it  in  again  when  you  leave 
the  job  and  draw  your  money." 

" Navvies,"  like  convicts,  are  known  by  their 
numbers.  I  have  never  forgotten  mine  which  was 
509. 

I  at  once  started  in  to  work  and  my  appearance 
there,  like  a  peacock  among  a  flock  of  crows,  gave 
cause  for  much  amusement  among  those  big, 
rough,  good-natured  fellows.  The  work  was  hard, 
it  is  true,  and  my  hands  at  the  end  of  the  first  day 
were  not  quite  so  much  "like  silk,"  for  they  were 
practically  raw,  blisters  having  formed  and  broken 
one  after  another,  but  I  have  never  regretted  that 
I  worked  for  two  days  as  a  "navvy."  The  experi- 
ence enabled  me  to  understand  that  class  of  men 
in  a  manner  that  I  never  could  have  done  by  look- 
ing on  from  a  royal  palace  or  state-coach.  The 
favorable  impression  made  upon  me  by  that 
"happy-go-lucky  crew"  was  such  that  I  am  always 
ready  to  give  the  "navvy"  a  hearty  handshake 
and  a  treafrwhenever  I  meet  him. 


98  Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

I  next  found  myself  in  Bedford  on  the  25th  of 
June,  1877. 

Fifty  miles  only  now  separated  me  from  Buck- 
ingham Palace,  from  my  grandmother,  the  Queen, 
who  had  so  cruelly  wronged  me,  from  my  father, 
and,  could  it  be  possible,  from  my  mother ! 

For  ten  years  the  " great  palace"  in  London  had 
entered  largely  into  my  plans  of  campaign  to  right 
the  wrongs  of  my  mother,  when  I  should  become 
a  man. 

I  was  now  sixteen  years  and  six  months  old.  I 
spent  a  sleepless  night  in  thinking  over  my  plan 
of  action. 

I  decided  upon  seeing  my  grandmother  to  ask 
her  to  give  me  my  mother's  address  that  I  might 
go  to  her.  Should  my  request  be  refused,  I  would 
go  to  France  to  secure  the  support  of  that  country 
and  return  at  the  head  of  the  French  Army  to 
invade  England.  I  would  capture  London,  place 
my  father  and  mother  on  the  throne,  and  send  my 
grandmother  into  exile,  as  she  had  exiled  my 
mother  and  myself  by  robbing  us  of  our  rightful 
station. 

This  course  I  thought  would  be  the  right  one 
to  follow  and  perfectly  just.  It  was  the  least  she 
could  expect,  and  I  could  not  reconcile  myself  to 
the  thought  of  sending  my  own  grandmother  to 
the  Tower,  no  matter  how  richly  she  might  have 
deserved  it. 

This  plan  of  campaign  was,  however,  consider- 
ably modified  the  following  morning  when  a  re- 
cruiting sergeant  entered  my  Council  of  War. 
The  suggestions  of  the  sergeant  that  I  should  enter 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph  99 

the  army  were  quite  in  keeping  with  my  proposed 
ultimate  line  of  action. 

Military  training  and  experience  in  active  serv- 
ice were  essential  requirements  of  good  general- 
ship. I  would  avail  myself  of  the  opportunity  of 
obtaining  such  training  and  experience.  The 
British  army,  I  concluded,  afforded  me  the  best 
possible  opportunity  for  the  carrying  out  of  my 
purpose  in  regard  to  the  necessary  training  for 
the  proposed  conquest. 


CHAPTER  XI 

I  ENLIST  IN  THE  BEDFORDSHIRE  REGIMENT  STATIONED 

IN  IRELAND AMUSING  INCIDENTS  WITH  IRISH 

PEOPLE — I  REFUSE  PROMOTION  TO  BECOME 

BETTER  ACQUAINTED  WITH  THE 
SOLDIER'S  LIFE 

I  ENTERED  into  my  military  career  with  the 
determination  to  make  the  most  of  my  practical 
training. 

The  changing  from  one  station  to  another  in 
different  parts  of  the  Empire  would  afford  me 
many  good  opportunities  to  familiarize  myself 
with  the  customs  and  manners  of  the  peoples  of 
the  Empire  and  the  conditions  under  which  they 
live. 

I  realized  that,  as  my  foster-mother  had  im- 
pressed upon  me,  the  best  means  to  acquire  a  full 
understanding  of  the  lot  of  the  people  was  by  be- 
ing one  of  the  people. 

To  understand  the  life  of  the  private  soldier 
one  must  be  a  soldier.  7  would  be  a  soldier. 

It  is  the  duty  of  the  Secretary  of  the  State  for 
war,  through  various  departments,  and  the  com- 
mander-in-chief,  generals  commanding  divisions, 
officers  commanding  regiments,  and  captains  of 
companies  to  bring  the  army  to  the  highest  state 

of  efficiency.    To  study  scientifically  the  difficult 

100 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph         101 

problem  of  equipment  of  troops  on  peace  and  war 
footing.  It  is  the  duty  of  company  and  battalion 
commanders  to  study  the  individual  characteris- 
tics and  temperament  of  each  and  every  man  un- 
der their  command. 

In  order  to  successfully  carry  out  this  duty 
something  more  is  necessary  than  the  perfunctory 
daily  inspection  of  barrack  rooms,  and  weekly 
"kit  inspections, ' '  and  the  visit  of  the  officer  of 
the  day  at  meal  times  with  the  time-worn:  "Any 
complaints  ? ' ' 

These  inspections,  like  the  inspections  on  parade, 
are  carried  out  for  the  purpose  of  exercising,  in 
many  cases,  the  superior  authority  of  the  officer 
to  enforce  a  servile  submission  rather  than  to  com- 
mand obedience  in  the  soldier.  Scarcely  an  inspec- 
tion was  made  without  some  unfortunate  fellows 
being  reprimanded  or  punished  on  the  most  trivial 
grounds. 

Some  young  officers  on  first  entering  upon  regu- 
lar duty,  entertain  exaggerated  ideas  of  their  duty 
of  condescension  to  get  in  closer  touch  with  the 
men. 

An  amusing  illustration  was  afforded  by  a  sec- 
ond lieutenant  on  the  occasion  of  his  first  visit  as 
officer  of  the  day  to  the  barrack  rooms. 

The  men  were  at  breakfast.  The  orderly  offi- 
cer sung  out  his  maiden, — "Any  complaints?" — 
he  then  proceeded  to  inspect  the  tables.  One  man 
was  enjoying  a  delicacy  not  served  in  the  officers' 
mess  or  even  in  the  sergeants'  mess. 

It  is  no  wonder,  therefore,  that  this  young  sprig 
of  an  officer  should  not  have  seen  it  before. 


102         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  GuelpTi 

The  appetizing  dish  enjoyed  exclusively  by 
' '  Tommy  Atkins ' '  consisted  of  bread  soaked  in  his 
bowl  of  coffee. 

The  officer  looked  astonished  when  he  saw  this 
mixture.  Speaking  in  a  patronizing  manner,  he 
asked  the  man  what  he  called  that  dish. 

' ' Slingers, ' '  replied  Tommy  A.  "You  seem  to 
enjoy  it  very  much;  is  it  good!"  inquired  the  offi- 
cer. ' '  Fine, ' '  replied  T.  A. 

Turning  to  the  orderly  sergeant,  the  officer  in- 
structed him  to  see  that  henceforth  the  men  should 
all  have  "Slingers."  He  thought  it  a  more  suit- 
able diet  for  breakfast  than  beefsteak  or  ham  and 
eggs. 

Needless  to  say,  "Slingers"  were  taken  as  de- 
sert and  not  intended  to  displace  the  ration  of 
beef,  mutton  or  fish. 

In  the  month  of  July  I  was  drafted  with  other 
men  from  the  Eegimental  Depot,  Bedford,  to  the 
headquarters  of  the  First  Battalion  16th  Regi- 
ment, then  stationed  at  Buttevant,  Ireland,  and 
was  attached  to  Company  B. 

I  now  felt  that  I  was  secure  from  further  moles- 
tation from  my  guardians,  and  for  the  first  time 
in  my  life  felt  free,  although  under  military  dis- 
cipline. I  enjoyed  the  life  of  the  soldier,  includ- 
ing both  duties  and  labors. 

I  soon  became  popular  with  the  men  and  the 
non-commissioned  officers  of  my  company.  I  de- 
voted my  spare  time  to  study  and  getting  about  the 
neighboring  country  and  at  once  became  much 
attached  to  the  good-natured  and  happy  disposi- 
tioned  people.  It  was  a  matter  of  surprise  to  me 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph         103 

to  discover  that  people  could  be  so  happy  and  con- 
tented under  the  trying  circumstances  and  miser- 
able condition  in  which  the  poorer  classes  lived. 

Most  of  the  men  spent  their  pay  either  in  the 
canteen  or  the  regimental  coffee  shop  on  beer  and 
extra  diet,  while  others  would  bank  their  money. 

My  hobby  was  to  patronize  the  old  apple  women 
and  others  of  that  class  who  would  sit  the  live- 
long day  in  all  weathers  to  peddle  their  goods. 

I  enjoyed  very  much  turning  over  my  three  or 
four  shillings  a  week  to  these  good  souls  whose 
lot  in  life  is  not,  by  any  means,  rosy. 

I  received  good  returns  for  my  money,  not  only 
in  the  way  of  "good  measure,"  but  the  pleasant 
conversations  were  a  means  of  obtaining  knowl- 
edge at  first  hand  from  the  people  whose  condition 
I  longed  to  improve. 

One  old  apple  woman,  Mrs.  Finigan,  I  particu- 
larly remember,  whom  I  patronized  every  day. 

I  was  always  greeted  with  a  hearty  "Arrah, 
God  bless  you,  my  child,  and  it's  a  fine,  warm 
marning," — or,  if  raining  "pitchforks," — "It's  a 
fine  saf t  marning, ' ' — or,  on  the  coldest  day  in  win- 
ter, with  her  basket  on  the  snow  and  ice, — "It's  a 
fine  hard  marning."  No  matter  what  the  condi- 
tion of  the  weather,  good  or  bad,  to  those  happy, 
philosophical  people  the  weather  was  always 
"fine." 

My  regiment  was  only  a  few  months  at  Butte- 
vant  after  I  joined;  but  I  made  the  most  of  my 
time  in  seeing  as  much  of  the  country  and  the  peo- 
ple as  possible  in  that  locality  and  in  the  neigh- 
boring towns.  I  made  many  happy  acquaintances 


104         Memoirs  of  Pr'mce  John  De  Guelph 

and  enjoyed  visiting  the  homesteads  of  tenant 
farmers  and  other  classes.  Indeed,  the  happiest 
years  of  my  life  were  spent  in  Ireland.  The  cheer- 
ful disposition  of  the  people  and  their  quaint  lives, 
always  full  of  mirth,  produced  an  effect  upon  me 
in  striking  contrast  to  the  heartaches  of  my  child- 
hood. 

I  was  once  spending  a  very  pleasant  Sunday 
afternoon  with  a  family  some  miles  from  town, 
shortly  after  my  arrival  in  Ireland.  We  were  tak- 
ing tea  in  this  humble  cottage;  the  happy  family 
seated  around  the  table.  My  chair  was  located  so 
that  my  back  was  to  the  front  door,  which  was 
open.  Suddenly  there  was  some  considerable  com- 
motion at  the  back  of  the  house,  the  cause  of  which 
I  did  not  understand.  I  had  heard  of  the  raids 
made  on  the  helpless  tenants  and  that  cruel  evic- 
tions were  of  common  occurrence. 

Before  I  had  time  to  inquire  what  the  trouble 
was,  my  chair  and  myself  were  raised  bodily  from 
the  ground  and  pitched  outside.  It  was  my  first 
experience  of  unjust  eviction  in  Ireland,  without 
notice. 

I  remember  the  good  house-wife  remarking  as 
I  was  thus  being  unceremoniously  evicted,  "  Arrah, 
be  aisy  wid  ye,  it's  only  the  pig."  The  pigs  had 
stampeded  from  the  back  yard  through  the  house, 
one  passing  under  my  diair  by  way  of  "a  short 
cut." 

One  other  incident  in  Buttevant  which  I  shall 
never  forget  was  a  little  affair  of  the  heart. 

Mary  0  'Connor,  daughter  of  an  inn-keeper,  had 
charge  of  the  Buttevant  Inn,  while  her  father  con- 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph          105 

ducted  a  more  pretentious  hostelry  in  Cork.  Mary 
was  a  very  sweet  and  pretty  girl,  with  many  ar- 
dent suitors. 

I  was  an  occasional  visitor  of  the  Buttevant 
house.  On  calling  there  one  evening,  I  found  great 
rejoicing.  Mary  was  engaged,  and  the  happy  lover 
was  ' '  treating  the  house. ' '  He  was  going  to  Cork 
to  receive  the  congratulations  of  Mary's  father, 
but  " could  not,"  he  said,  "tear  himself  away  from 
Mary  until  the  following  week. ' ' 

The  Irish  side  of  my  nature  was  developing 
rapidly  in  its  native  soil.  I  seized  the  opportu- 
nity to  play  a  practical  joke  on  the  happy  pair. 

I  accordingly  obtained  leave  of  absence  for 
seven  days,  proceeded  to  Cork,  and  introduced 
myself  to  Mary's  father  as  his  prospective  son- 
in-law. 

Mr.  O'Connor  was  jubilant  at  the  surprise  trip 
and  most  profuse  with  his  congratulations  and 
praise  of  my  sense  of  duty  in  so  promptly  paying 
my  respects  to  him.  He  collected  all  the  patrons 
from  the  different  rooms  in  the  house,  sent 
messengers  to  call  relatives  and  friends  "post 
haste"  to  drink  the  health  of  his  son-in-law  to  be. 
Irish  whisky  was  "flowing  like  rivers  of  rum," 
served  in  gallon  measures,  and  passed  round  to 
the  happy  guests  in  half -pint  mugs. 

Every  Irishman  present  was  impatient  for  his 
turn  to  toast  me,  and  the  rapidity  with  which 
those  mugs  were  emptied  and  replenished,  as  toast 
followed  upon  toast,  was  one  of  the  most  astonish- 
ing and  amusing  scenes  I  ever  witnessed.  My 
joke  had  succeeded  beyond  my  most  sanguine  an- 


106         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

ticipations.  I  was  so  convulsed  with  the  ridicu- 
lous situation  that  I  was  voted  to  be  the  jolliest 
fellow  alive.  It  was  long  after  closing  time  when 
the  reception  broke  up  and  the  guests  "  rolled ': 
out  of  the  back  door  and  led  each  other  home. 

This  "wake"  ("wake"  was  the  more  applicable, 
for  the  reason  that  I  foresaw  somebody's  funeral 
should  Mary's  lover  appear)  continued  up  to  the 
date  set  for  the  other  fellow  to  arrive.  On  the 
morning  of  his  expected  arrival  my  prospective 
"father-in-law"  received  a  letter  from  Mary  an- 
nouncing that  her  intended  husband  would  be  in 
Cork  that  day  to  pay  his  respects  to  him. 

Mr.  O'Connor  nearly  had  a  fit. 

"What  in  the  name  of  hivens  does  she  mane? 
Has  she  gone  crazy  entoirely?  Here  yer  afther 
being  here  nearly  a  week  and  bedad  she  says  yer 
only  coming  to-day.  What  does  it  all  mane  I" 

In  order  to  avoid  unpleasant  developments  I 
had  to  explain  that  "Mary  was  quite  right;  that 
when  I  left  her  I  told  her  that  I  was  going  to  Dub- 
lin and  would  come  directly  from  there  to  see 
you,"  and  was  due  to  arrive  that  day. 

I  said  that  I  could  not  stay  away  any  longer 
from  Mary  and  suggested  that  he  should  accom- 
pany me  to  Buttevant  and  make  her  a  surprise 
visit,  to  which  he  readily  agreed. 

By  this  ruse  I  got  0  'Connor  out  of  the  way  be- 
fore my  rival  arrived,  and  whom  we  passed  on  the 
way. 

On  reaching  Buttevant  I  suggested  that  O'Con- 
nor should  remain  at  a  neighboring  inn  for  half 
an  hour  or  so,  to  give  me  a  chance  to  greet  Mary, 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph         107 

and  also  to  make  the  surprise  of  his  visit  more 
complete. 

I  saw  Mary,  invited  her  to  have  a  glass  of  wine 
and  confessed  to  her  the  joke  that  I  had  played, 
also  telling  her  that  I  had  given  the  other  fellow 
the  slip  by  bringing  her  father  away. 

The  whole  thing  appealed  to  her  humor  im- 
mensely, and  I  thought  she  would  never  stop 
laughing.  At  length  she  said,  "But  the  other 
John  was  too  slow  to  see  through  a  fence,"  and, 
that  "he  wasn't  worth  bothering  her  head  about." 

Mr.  O'Connor  now  came  in  and  I  was  again 
treated  as  the  "real  thing"  by  both  Mary  and 
her  father.  Mary  could  not  refrain,  however,  from 
telling  the  old  gentleman  the  joke  I  had  played,  at 
which  he  and  everybody  present  roared  with 
laughter. 

He  very  graciously  told  me  that  a  young  fellow 
as  bright  as  I  was,  was  well  worthy  of  Mary.  An- 
other round  of  festivities  followed,  notwithstand- 
ing that  I  had  not  proposed  or  even  made  love  to 
Mary. 

It  was  some  time  before  Mary  could  bring  her- 
self to  forgive  the  other  fellow  for  having  allowed 
himself  to  be  outwitted  in  love. 

I  had  been  at  recruits'  drill  a  few  weeks,  when 
one  morning  while  on  parade  Lt.  Col.  Bostock, 
the  officer  commanding  the  regiment,  rode  onto  the 
parade  grounds,  a  very  unusual  occurrence  at  re- 
cruits'  drill. 

Biding  up  to  the  officer  in  charge  on  the  oppo- 
site side  of  the  square  from  that  on  which  my 
squad  was  drilling,  he  made  some  inquiry.  The 


108         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

officer  in  question  called  to  a  drill  sergeant  and 
spoke  to  him. 

The  sergeant,  raising  his  pace  stick,  pointed 
across  the  square,  singling  out  the  squad  to  which 
I  belonged.  The  colonel,  without  paying  atten- 
tion to  any  other  squad  on  the  parade  ground, 
rode  directly  to  my  squad. 

Stopping  just  out  of  hearing,  he  called  my  drill 
sergeant,  who  went  up  and  saluted. 

The  colonel  spoke  to  him,  whereupon  the  ser- 
geant turned  and,  calling  me  by  name,  called  me 
up  to  the  commanding  officer.  On  my  saluting 
the  colonel,  he  said,  "  Your  name  is  John  Norman, 
is  it  not?" 

I  replied,  saying,  "My  name  is  George  Norman, 
sir."  (I  had  enlisted  under  the  name  of  George 
Norman  and  dropped  the  John  for  the  obvious 
reason  that  I  did  not  wish  to  be  discovered  by  my 
guardians,  being  still  a  minor,  although  wearing 
the  Queen's  uniform.) 

The  colonel  looked  surprised.  '  '  George ! ' '  he  ex- 
claimed; "I  thought  it  was  John?"  "George, 
sir,"  I  replied. 

As  though  not  satisfied,  he  unfastened  his  tunic 
and  drew  a  letter  partly  out  of  his  pocket.  Then, 
on  second  thought,  he  thrust  it  back,  saying  as  he 
did  so,  "Oh,  well,  George,  then." 

He  then  said,  "Now,  George,  you  are  a  bright 
young  fellow,  and  must  be  pushed  rapidly  for- 
ward. You  must  be  promoted  at  once,  and  in  the 
course  of  two  or  three  years  you  ought  to  receive 
a  commission.  Immediately  you  are  dismissed 
from  this  parade,  go  to  your  Pay  Sergeant  and  tell 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph        109 

him  that  it  is  by  my  orders  that  an  application  is 
to  be  sent  in  to-day  for  you  to  be  made  a  Lance- 
Corporal.  The  Captain  of  your  Company  will  sign 
the  application,  and  you  will  be  in  orders  to-day. ' ' 

Here  was  a  revelation ! 

Why  had  the  Colonel  come  onto  the  parade 
ground  at  the  nine  o'clock  recruits'  drill  for  the 
express  purpose  of  singling  me  out  from  some 
two  hundred  recruits,  most  of  whom  were  further 
advanced  in  drill,  having  been  longer  in  the  regi- 
ment? 

Why  the  mistake  in  the  given  name,  John,  when 
George  was  the  name  on  the  roll? 

Why  his  surprise  at  the  "George?" 

What  had  the  letter  in  his  pocket  to  do  with 
settling  the  name? 

He  had  just  received  the  morning  mail,  and  it 
was  evident  that  he  had  received  some  communi- 
cation from  somebody,  which  called  for  prompt 
attention. 

While  I  regretted  to  discover  that  I  had  not 
eluded  the  "powers  that  be,"  it  was  a  matter  of 
relief  to  know  that  I  was  not  likely  to  be  inter- 
fered with,  as  was  shown  by  the  Colonel's  de- 
clared intention  to  push  me  forward  rapidly,  with 
a  view  to  my  obtaining  a  commission  in  the  brief 
period  of  three  years. 

I  saw  through  the  whole  thing.  The  intention 
of  those  responsible  for  that  communication  and 
visit  of  the  commanding  officer,  in  wishing  to  see 
me  rapidly  promoted  was  very  good.  But  I  could 
not  forget  that  I  had  been  robbed  of  my  legitimate 
birthright,  and  that  I  had  spurned  the  miserable 


110         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  GuelpTi 

pittance  allowed  for  my  support  as  a  child,  and  I 
wanted  no  promotion  at  their  hands  or  through 
their  influence.  I  therefore  replied  to  the  Colonel, 
thanking  him  for  the  honor  done  me,  and  for  his 
good  wishes,  but  begged  to  be  allowed  to  decline 
his  offer,  on  the  ground  that  "the  first  duty  of  a 
soldier  is  to  learn  to  obey,"  and  that  "he  who 
would  command  must  first  learn  to  obey,"  and 
that  in  my  opinion  a  recruit  with  but  a  few  weeks 
service,  who  had  not  yet  learned  his  drill,  was 
not  fitted  to  command  soldiers  with  twenty  years ' 
experience  and  service. 

The  Colonel  tried  to  talk  me  out  of  it,  but  I  was 
firm,  and  refused  absolutely  to  take  promotion 
for  upwards  of  three  years.  I  was  then  promoted 
without  my  knowledge  or  consent,  which  was  in 
India.  There  was  nothing  for  me  to  do  but  to 
obey  the  published  orders  of  the  commanding 
officer. 


CHAPTER  XII 

AMUSING  STORIES  OF  A  SOLDIER 's  LIFE  IN  IRELAND 

WITH  COL.  HILLIER  ON  SPIKE  ISLAND OUTBREAK 

OF    CONVICTS 1    PLAY    THE    ROLE    OF    COM- 
MANDER OF  CORK  HARBOR 

AN  amusing  incident  which  occurred  while  my 
regiment  was  stationed  at  Buttevant,  was  when  I 
joined  Sergeant  P—  -  in  a  practical  joke,  which 
we  played  upon  his  beautiful  and  charming  wife, 
and  by  which  the  Sergeant  hoped  to  cure  her  of 
a  most  trying  fault.  , 

Sergeant  William  P had  been  in  charge  of 

the  mess  and  was  a  most  congenial  comrade. 

Mrs.  P—  -  was  a  woman  of  many  accomplish- 
ments and  most  fascinating,  but  she  was  of  an 
extremely  jealous  nature. 

I  was  frequently  a  visitor  at  the  P resi- 
dence, which  was  outside  of  the  barracks,  and  much 
enjoyed  Mrs.  P 's  general  topic  of  conversa- 
tion, "  Billy  and  his  flirting  propensities. " 

A  lady  in  high  life,*  who  was  blamed  for  demor- 
alizing the  German  Army,  is  reported  to  have  said, 
"One  does  not  look  for  virtue  in  a  soldier." 

*" Private  Lives  of  Kaiser  William  II  and  his  Consort"  by 
Henry  W.  Fischer. 

HI 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

Had   the   Duchess  met    " Billy"    P- 

she  would  probably  not  have  set  up  such  a  defense, 
for  " Billy"  was  an  exemplary  little  fellow. 

Mrs.  P spent  a  great  deal  of  time  and  lost 

a  lot  of  sleep  watching  her  beloved  spouse. 

Almost  any  day  or  night  at  the  hour  Billy  was 

expected  to  be  off  duty,  Mrs.  P might  be  found 

waiting  to  escort  him  home. 

One  fine  afternoon  word  reached  Mrs.  P 's 

ears  that  a  beautiful  young  lady  was  spending  the 
afternoon  with  Sergeant  P in  the  mess. 

Mrs.  P lost  no  time  in  making  her  way  to 

the  mess. 

She  was  not  unexpected.  Billy  espied  her  from 
the  window  as  she  was  crossing  the  barrack  square. 
The  young  lady  also  looked  from  the  window  and 

was  observed  by  Mrs.  P ,  who  quickened  her 

pace.  The  young  lady  opened  the  front  door;  es- 
cape was  impossible  from  that  direction,  Mrs. 

P being  too  near,  and  at  that  instant  started 

on  the  "  double-quick. "  Slamming  the  front  door 
the  girl,  accompanied  by  Billy,  beat  a  hasty  retreat 
from  the  back  door.  It  was  a  case  of  "follow  the 
leader"  around  the  barracks,  through  the  ser- 
geant's mess,  in  and  out  of  different  company 
rooms,  until,  finally,  the  culprits  reached  the  bar- 
racks gate  with  Mrs.  P less  than  thirty  yards 

behind. 

The  public  thoroughfare  being  reached,  Billy 
and  his  fair  companion  felt  somewhat  relieved. 
They  dashed  across  to  an  adjacent  hotel,  Mrs. 

P in  close  pursuit.    Without  waiting  to  answer 

questions  the  pair  hurried  past  the  astonished 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph         113 

hotel  clerks  and  through  the  back  door,  as  Mrs. 
P-  -  entered  the  front;  and  so  the  merry  chase 
continued  for  well-nigh  an  hour,  through  streets 
and  alleys,  public  houses  and  hotels,  until  poor 
Mrs.  P-  -  was  almost  exhausted  and  began  to 
lose  ground.  The  scene  created  much  amusement 
through  the  town. 

The  more  the  people  laughed  the  more  exasper- 
ated Mrs.  P—  -  became,  and  finally  gave  up  in 
despair  and  made  her  way  home. 

I  was  enjoying  a  quiet  chat  with  Sergeant  P 

in  the  front  parlor  of  the  sergeant's  residence 
when  Mrs.  P-  -  came  in.  With  a  scream  of  rage 
she  flew  at  Billy,  seizing  his  hair  in  one  hand  and 
his  long  moustache  in  the  other  she  pulled  and 
shook  him  nearly  out  of  his  boots. 

For  many  years  Sergeant  P had  been  proud 

to  boast  of  possessing  the  longest,  heaviest  and 
most  "fetching"  moustache  in  the  British  Army. 

The  above  was  the  only  occasion  that  I  ever 
heard  him  curse  this  flowing  ornament  as  a  mis- 
fortune. 

Mrs.  P—  -  commenced  a  tirade  of  abuse  at  the 
unfortunate  Billy;  and  accused  him  of  his  perfidy. 

Now,  Billy  and  I  were  chums,  and  I  naturally 

tried  to  pacify  Mrs.  P ,  assuring  her  that  I 

had  been  in  her  husband's  company  the  entire 
afternoon,  and  had  not  left  him  for  a  single  mo- 
ment !  I  was,  therefore,  confident  that  he  had  not 
been  in  the  company  of  any  young  lady. 

Mrs.  P—  -  was  indignant  and  asked  me  if  I 
thought  she  was  "crazy  or  dreaming,"  to  which 
I  rather  ungallantly  replied,  "Possibly  a  little  of 


114         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

both.  Jealousy,  carried  to  extremes,  can  hardly 
be  said  to  be  a  normal  condition,  and,  unless  you 
can  show  me  the  girl  I  shall  have  to  conclude  that 
you  were  either  dreaming  or  very  much  mistaken. ' ' 

Mrs.  P said  she  would  very  much  like  to 

have  the  opportunity  to  show  me  the  girl.  If  she 
had  that  opportunity  the  girl  would  fare  very  much 
worse  than  Billy  had  done. 

On  being  asked  if  she  would  know  the  girl  if 
she  saw  her,  she  replied  that  she  would  know  her 
the  moment  she  set  eyes  on  her ;  and  at  once  pro- 
ceeded to  describe  her  dress,  hat,  and  general  ap- 
pearance, remarking  that  the  hat  worn  by  the  girl 
was  very  similar  to  one  of  her  own. 

I  thought  it  time  to  withdraw  to  give  husband 
and  wife  an  opportunity  to  talk  the  matter  over, 
as  I  did  not  wish  to  interfere  in  their  domestic 
affairs.  I  left,  promising  to  return  within  half  an 
hour. 

I  adjourned  to  an  adjoining  room  and  proceeded 
to  change  my  military  uniform  for  the  petticoats, 
gown,  hat,  and  wig,  which  I  had  discarded  less  than 
two  minutes  prior  to  Mrs.  P 's  return  home. 

On  giving  the  finishing  touches  to  my  toilet  I 
stepped  from  the  house,  only  to  ring  the  front- 
door bell.  A  moment  later,  and,  lo,  the  rivals 
stood  glaring  at  each  other  through  the  open  door. 

Had  it  not  been  for  a  roar  of  laughter  from  Ser- 
geant P at  the  psychological  moment  the  poor 

"girl"  would  have  fared  very  badly  at  the  hands 
of  a  jealous  wife. 

The  game  was  up ;  but  it  was  worth  the  playing. 
Mrs,  P laughed  until  she  became  hysterical. 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph         115 

She  declared  that  she  would  never  again  watch 
Billy — she  was  cured  of  jealousy. 

My  regiment  was  now  ordered  to  Athlone,  where 
my  life  as  a  British  soldier  continued  to  be  a  happy 
one,  replete  with  amusing  incidents  and  pleasant 
memories. 

While  stationed  there  I  had  occasion,  one  even- 
ing, to  go  to  the  kitchen  in  the  officers7  mess,  at 
dinner  time,  to  ascertain  the  cause  of  delay  in 
sending  up  the  various  courses.  It  was  my  duty 
to  supervise  this  function. 

I  found  the  cook,  Cook  by  name  and  cook  by  na- 
ture, as  well  as  by  occupation,  weighing  some- 
where in  the  neighborhood  of  three  hundred  and 
forty  pounds,  and  with  a  face  like  a  Christmas 
pudding,  considerably  the  worse  far  liquor,  ag- 
gravated perhaps  by  the  heat  of  the  range. 

This,  however,  being  his  natural  condition,  it 
would  have  been  a  matter  of  surprise  to  have 
found  him  in  any  other  state.  Indeed,  the  very 
possibility  of  finding  Mr.  Cook  sober  reminds  me 
of  a  chief  officer  of  a  certain  vessel,  who,  having 
been  frequently  reprimanded  by  his  Captain,  was 
finally  entered  on  the  log  for  drunkenness.  In 
vain  he  pleaded  the  following  day  to  have  the 
charge  erased  from  the  log.  The  Captain  was 
firm,  and  asked,  "Is  it  true  that  you  were  drunk?" 
"Yes,  it  is  true/'  replied  the  mate,  "but  you 
might  take  it  off."  "Well,"  replied  the  Captain, 
"if  it  is  true,  it  stands  on  the  log."  Repeated  en- 
treaties failed  to  move  the  Captain.  Some  morn- 
ings later  the  Captain,  on  looking  at  the  log,  after 
relieving  the  mate,  was  astonished  to  find  the  fol- 


116         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Gu-elph 

lowing  entry:  "Captain  Smith  was  sober  to-day. " 
The  indignant  Captain  called  for  the  mate  and 
demanded  that  the  obnoxious  entry  be  forthwith 
removed  from  the  log.  "Is  it  true!"  thundered 
the  mate.  "Of  course  it  is  true,  you  lubber." 
"Very  well,  then,"  rejoined  the  mate,  "if  it  is 
true,  it  stands  on  the  log." 

In  all  my  experience  in  the  officers'  mess  with 
Mr.  Cook,  both  of  Cork  and  Athlone,  I  found  no 
opportunity  to  make  any  such  entry  as  that  made 
against  the  Captain. 

I  remonstrated  with  the  cook  for  the  dilatory 
manner  in  which  dinner  was  being  served. 

He  was  in  the  act  of  removing  the  "Jack"  from 
the  front  of  the  range  and  then  proceeded  to  empty 
the  fat  from  the  large  tin  dripping  pan  into  a 
pan  in  the  larder.  As  he  was  skimming  the  fat 
with  a  spoon,  he  continued  his  tirade  of  abuse, 
which  was  too  much  for  my  young  blood  to  stand. 
Placing  my  hand  on  the  top  of  his  head,  I  ducked 
his  head  into  the  dripping  fat.  The  hot  fat  caused 
him  to  splutter  and  bawl.  In  taking  his  head  from 
the  pan,  the  fat  soon  became  cool  on  his  face, 
forming  a  mask  back  to  his  ears  and  under  his 
chin. 

The  commotion  caused  by  this  little  incident 
brought  the  caterer,  Mr.  S—  to  the  scene. 

Mr.  S ,  like  the  cook,  had  his  load  to  carry, 

and  was  inclined  to  be  boisterous.  He  insisted 
upon  the  cook  going  directly  to  the  mess  room  to 
report  the  matter  to  Captain  Wickham,  the  presi- 
dent of  the  mess  committee,  and  show  him  the  evi- 
dence of  the  assault  upon  him,  namely,  the  mask 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelpli         117 

of  fat.  Foreseeing  the  amusement  it  would  cause 
in  the  mess  room,  I  encouraged  him  to  do  so,  and 
myself  offered  to  inform  the  Captain  that  the  cook 
desired  to  see  him. 

I  accordingly  preceded  the  cook  to  the  mess 
room,  explaining  to  Captain  Wickham  that  the 
cook  wished  to  see  him,  and  in  response  to  his 
inquiry  as  to  what  the  cook  wanted  to  see  him 
about,  I  said,  "The  usual  thing — drinking,  and 
had  his  own  grievances.  He  overbalanced  himself 
while  emptying  the  fat  into  the  dripping  pan  and 
buried  his  face  in  the  fat  (this  loud  enough  to 
be  heard  by  all  the  officers  present.  He  now  thinks 
that  I  pushed  his  head  into  the  dripping  pan."  I 
requested  Captain  Wickham  to  see  him. 

The  officers  left  the  mess  room  en  masse  to  in- 
spect the  cook,  who  had  by  this  time  struggled  up 
to  the  ante-room.  His  appearance  caused  a  roar 
of  laughter  from  the  younger  officers.  Captain 
Wickham,  after  having  listened  to  his  complaint, 
ordered  the  cook  downstairs  and  to  bed  as  the 
best  place  to  sleep  off  both  the  drink  and  the  fat. 

Soon  after  my  arrival  in  Cork  I  was  some 
months  in  the  hospital,  suffering  with  my  eyes. 

On  leaving  the  hospital  Lt.-Col.  Hillier,  who  had 
been  appointed  officer  commanding  Cork  harbor, 
sent  for  me,  and  said  that  he  would  be  glad  if  I 
would  go  with  him  to  Spike  Island  to  take  charge 
of  him  and  his  bachelor  apartments.  He  thought 
the  sea  air  would  benefit  me.  This  was  in  1878. 

Spike  Island  is  the  headquarters  of  the  officer 
commanding  Cork  harbor,  and  a  great  convict  set- 
tlement. At  that  time  there  were  a  number  of  the 


118         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

noted  Fenian  leaders  in  that  convict  settlement, 
some  of  whom  were  afterwards  pardoned  and  are 
now  living  in  New  York  and  other  places  in 
America. 

Some  little  time  after  Colonel  Hillier  took  over 
command  an  outbreak  occurred  one  night.  The 
alarm  was  sounded,  the  troops  turned  out  and  the 
officer  of  the  day  and  staff  officer  called  for  the 
officer  commanding.  He  was  absent  from  the 
Island,  having  gone  to  Cork.  He  had  not,  however, 
notified  other  officers  of  his  absence.  I,  there- 
fore, at  the  age  of  seventeen,  assumed  the  respon- 
sibility of  the  officer  commanding  Cork  Harbor. 

Leaving  the  officers  at  the  door  I  went  to  the 
Colonel's  rooms  under  the  pretense  of  calling  him, 
and  getting  orders.  I  then  went  back  to  the  staff 
officer  and  gave  the  supposed  commands  of  the 
officer  commanding  for  the  necessary  action  to  be 
taken  by  the  troops  to  suppress  the  outbreak.  I 
added  that  the  Colonel  was  getting  up  and  would 
be  on  the  ground  as  soon  as  possible.  In  the 
meantime  I  myself  would  come  up  with  any  other 
commands  that  he  might  have.  I  pointed  out  that, 
as  the  Colonel  weighed  some  twenty  odd  stone, 
and  was  afflicted  with  the  gout,  both  in  mind  and 
body,  it  would  take  him  some  little  time  to  get 
to  the  scene  of  action. 

I  followed  the  officers  up  to  the  scene  of  trouble 
and  gave  another  command  to  a  staff  officer,  as 
though  the  same  came  from  the  officer  command- 
ing the  Harbor. 

The  riot  was  quelled  before  the  Colonel  returned 
to  the  Island.  Having  sent  a  message  to  him  at 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph         119 

the  beginning  of  the  outbreak,  I  met  him  at  the 
landing,  and,  in  response  to  his  inquiry  if  the  next 
senior  officer  had  assumed  command,  I  said,  "No. 
The  officer  commanding  Cork  Harbor  was  in  com- 
mand and  gave  the  necessary  orders."  He  looked 
dumbfounded.  "The  officer  commanding  Cork 
Harbor,  sir!"  "The  Devil!  The  officer  com- 
manding Cork  Harbor  was  in  Cork,  and  not  in 
Spike  Island.  How  the  h —  then,  could  he  give 
commands  ? ' '  I  informed  him  that  as  I  understood 
he  was  absent  without  leave,  I  did  not  care  to  see 
him  called  upon  to  explain,  and  that  I  had  accord- 
ingly taken  command  myself,  but  that  none  of  the 
officers  were  aware  of  his  absence  from  the  Is- 
land; whereupon  he  roared  with  laughter,  and  jok- 
ingly threatened  to  court  martial  me  for  imper- 
sonating the  officer  commanding. 

He  said  afterwards,  he  wondered  "what  some 
of  those  d—  -  Fenians  would  think  if  .they  knew 
that  their  desperate  attempt  to  escape  had  been 
successfully  suppressed  by  the  troops  in  command 
of  a  boy." 

My  friend,  Colonel  Hillier,  was  later  gazetted 
to  the  command  of  the  Second  Battalion  of  the 
Bedfordshire  Eegiment  in  India.  He  asked  me  if 
I  would  go  to  India  with  him.  I  said  that  I  would 
be  glad  to  go  if  he  went.  I  asked  him  if  he  seri- 
ously contemplated  going ;  to  which  he  replied  that 
he  did,  if  he  had  to  "walk  all  the  way."  Later, 
however,  on  my  asking  him  when  he  expected  to 
leave  for  India,  he  asked  me  if  I  thought  he  had 
"no  better  sense  than  to  go  to  India  and  be  roasted 
alive."  He  did  not  go,  but  retired. 


120         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  GuelpTi 

I  accordingly  rejoined  my  regiment  in  Cork. 
During  my  two  years  and  three  months'  service  in 
Ireland,  I  was  on  Staff  employ  for  two  years. 

In  1878  I  volunteered  for  active  service  when 
war  was  expected  with  Eussia,  which  country  was 
mobilizing  a  large  army  on  the  frontier  of  Af- 
ghanistan, threatening  to  invade  India;  and 
whose  agents  were  active  in  stirring  up  trouble  in 
Afghanistan,  which  finally  led  to  the  Afghan  War, 
and  threatening  Bulgaria  and  Constantinople  at 
the  same  time. 

The  reserves  were  called  out,  and  there  was 
great  excitement  in  the  barracks.  Men  were  eager 
to  get  a  slap  at  Eussia.  A  large  number  of  men 
were  sent  out  from  my  regiment  to  the  Afghan 
War,  but  for  some  reason  the  doctor  passed  me  as 
" unfit"  for  active  service.  From  words  passed 
by  the  officers  of  my  own  company,  and  from  the 
conduct  of  the  army  surgeon,  I  was  of  the  opinion 
that  somebody  was  responsible  for  preventing  my 
going  to  the  front,  and  I  so  expressed  myself  in 
rather  indignant  terms  to  the  army  surgeon. 

Some  of  the  reserves  were  drafted  to  my  regi- 
ment, among  them  an  Irish  sergeant,  who  cre- 
ated much  amusement.  One  day  when  orderly  ser- 
geant he  went  to  take  the  regimental  orders  in  the 
usual  way.  It  was  his  duty  to  read  the  orders  to 
the  company  the  same  evening.  He  did  not  do  so, 
for  reasons  found  out  the  next  day  at  the  com- 
manding officer's  parade. 

After  the  inspection  of  the  company,  by  the  Cap- 
tain, he  called  for  the  order  book,  and,  opening  it, 
said,  "Pay  attention  to  orders."  Looking  at  the 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

book,  lie  read, l  '  Kegimental  Orders. '  *  He  stopped, 
called  for  the  Lieutenant  and  asked  him  to  read 
the  orders.  The  Lieutenant,  upon  looking  at  the 
book,  begged  to  be  excused.  The  Pay-Sergeant 
was  then  called  and  instructed  to  read  the  orders. 
The  Pay-Sergeant  looked  at  the  book  and  gasped ! 
The  Captain  asked  the  latter,  "Who  wrote  those 
orders  1 ' '  to  which  the  Pay-Sergeant  replied, ' '  The 
orderly  sergeant."  "Then  make  the  orderly  ser- 
geant read  them,"  said  the  Captain. 

Sergeant  Flynn  came  forward,  and  the  Captain 
asked  if  he  had  written  the  orders,  to  which  Ser- 
geant Flynn  replied,  "Yis,  sorr."  "Well,  read 
them,  then, ' '  said  the  Captain  in  disgust.  Sergeant 
Flynn  staggered  the  Captain  by  the  following 
reply : 

"And  indade,  sorr,  I  had  the  diviPs  own  job  to 
write  them.  I  tried  to  read  thim  to  the  company 
last  night,  but  the  divil  of  a  word  could  I  make 
out  of  thim.  I M  be  af ther  asking  you  to  excuse  me 
this  toime.  I  think  the  parade  would  be  dismissed 
before  I  could  get  through  with  the  first  line." 
He  was  excused. 


CHAPTEE  XIII 

SPIKE  ISLAND  UNIVERSITY  OF  EXPERIENCE THE  SOR- 
ROWS OF  IRELAND  PORTRAYED  IN  CHAINS INHU- 
MAN EVICTIONS,  STARVATION,  PESTILENCE  AND 

DEATH MY   SOUL   STIRRED    WITH   PITY, 

I  TAKE  UP  THE   BURDEN   OF   MY 

MOTHER'S  ANCESTRAL  HOME 

MY  experience  on  Spike  Island  gave  me  food  for 
deep  reflection. 

To  stand  and  watch  the  heavily  chained  gangs  of 
desperate  convicts  as  they  passed  to  and  from 
Spike  Island  and  neighboring  Islands  to  labor  and 
back  to  their  dormitories  to  sleep ;  and  to  visit  the 
scene  of  their  servitude,  caused  me  to  ponder  on 
the  lot  of  the  convict. 

For  what  causes  had  this  large  body  of  men  been 
sentenced  to  long  terms,  many  for  life,  to  this 
convict  settlement? 

What  was  the  cause  of  so  much  violent  crime  in 
Ireland  1 

In  a  country  well  governed,  the  industries  and 
trades  protected,  would  mean  prosperity ;  and  men 
would  surely  rather  labor  in  peace  and  enjoy  do- 
mestic happiness  and  prosperity  than  turn  to  vio- 
lent crime  to  be  banished  to  penal  servitude, 
chained  like  animals  on  a  desolate  island. 

122 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

Investigation  soon  satisfied  me  that  the  devel- 
opment of  the  natural  resources  of  Ireland  had 
been  retarded,  her  manufacturing,  agricultural, 
and  other  industries  ruined ;  the  tenants  were  un- 
able to  meet  their  rents,  and  were  in  consequence 
being  evicted  in  large  numbers.  Famine  and  pes- 
tilence stalked  throughout  the  land. 

I  have  already  stated  that  the  daily  witnessing 
of  thousands  of  heavily  fettered  convicts  moving 
along  in  silent  procession,  the  only  sound  being 
the  clank  of  the  chains  which  could  be  heard  for 
some  considerable  distance,  caused  me  to  study 
the  subject  very  seriously. 

The  distress  then  prevailing  in  Ireland,  and 
which  in  the  following  year,  1879,  was  probably 
greater  than  at  any  time  since  the  famine  of  1847, 
led  me  to  seek  the  cause. 

In  order  to  acquire  any  adequate  knowledge  of 
the  prevailing  conditions  of  poverty,  it  was  neces- 
sary that  I  should  familiarize  myself  with  the 
history  of  Ireland,  and  more  particularly  with  the 
agricultural  and  manufacturing  industries  of  the 
past. 

I  must  confess  that  when  I  read  the  history  of 
the  suffering  of  the  Irish  people  and  the  grossly 
unjust  manner  in  which  that  unfortunate  country 
had  been  ruled  and  its  people  persecuted  I  could 
not  help  but  weep  for  Ireland. 

The  terrible  famine  and  plague  which  fell  upon 
Ireland  in  1846  should  have  appealed  to  the  Brit- 
ish Parliament  and  to  the  British  people ;  for,  not- 
withstanding, all  the  talk  about  the  Anglo-Saxon 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

race,  the  people  of  the  United  Kingdom  of  Great 
Britain  and  Ireland  are  in  reality  of  Celtic  descent, 
Celtic  blood  largely  predominating  in  England  as 
in  Ireland,  Scotland,  and  Wales. 

It  is  a  blot  upon  the  British  Parliament  and  the 
British  race  that  the  same  tyrannical  feudal  system 
of  landlordism  should  have  been  permitted  to  con- 
tinue after  the  appalling  experience  which  devas- 
tated Ireland  during  the  famine  of  1846  and  1847, 
and  the  plague  that  followed.  Where  two  in  a 
family  died  from  starvation,  whole  families  were 
swept  away  by  the  plague. 

It  is  not  my  purpose  to  give  in  these  Memoirs 
a  history  of  the  terrible  sufferings  of  that  country 
from  that  time  up  to  1877-79,  the  time  of  my  so- 
journ there.  In  order  to  make  clear  to  the  public 
what  led  me  to  determine  to  devote  my  attention 
to  the  emancipation  of  Ireland  from  economic 
starvation,  I  will  give  a  few  illustrations  of  the  ter- 
rible conditions  in  that  country  from  1846  to  1879. 

In  1846  the  Inspectors-General  of  Prisons  re- 
ported that  the  committals  in  that  year  over  the 
year  1845  sometimes  amounted  to  one  hundred 
per  cent.;  and  further  reported  that  "in  a  very 
great  number  of  instances  small  crimes  have  been 
committed  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  that  sup- 
port in  prison  which  could  not  be  procured  else- 
where. "* 

The  prisons  became  to  the  starving  nation  the 
only  harbor  of  refuge. 

As  the  suffering  became  more  acute,  sheep  steal- 


*" Census  Commissioners"  p.  304. 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph         185 

ing  and  violent  crime  increased  to  an  amazing 
extent.  When  industrious,  honest,  self-respecting 
men  are  driven  to  such  a  condition  of  starvation 
that  they  deem  themselves  most  fortunate  should 
they  succeed  in  being  sentenced  to  transportation 
for  a  long  term  of  years,  the  Government  of  such 
a  nation  stands  arraigned  and  condemned  before 
the  tribunal  of  Almighty  God,  the  King  of  Kings. 

In  the  year  1847  the  Inspectors-General  of  Pris- 
ons reported  "the  terrible  catastrophe  which  has 
disorganized  the  whole  framework  of  society  in 
Ireland,  fell  with  its  full  force  on  establishments 
under  our  charge.  Disease  and  death  increased  to 
a  degree  that  could  never  be  contemplated  by  those 
acquainted  with  the  usual  orderly  and  healthy 
state  of  our  jails.  The  crowding  together  of 
12,883  prisoners  in  jails  calculated  to  contain 
5,655  increased  the  deaths  in  Irish  prisons  in  a 
single  year  from  131  to  1,315."  * 

Dr.  Browne  of  the  Castlebar  jail  wrote  in 
March,  "Our  county  jail  was  crowded  to  more 
than  double  its  capacity,  those  committed  being  in 
a  state  of  nudity,  filth,  and  starvation.  By  the  end 
of  April  we  were  in  a  state  of  actual  pestilence 
(typhus  fever).  Every  hospital  servant  was  at- 
tacked, and  from  our  wretched  over-crowded  state 
the  mortality  was  fearful — fully  forty  per  cent. 
.  .  .  Not  a  few  of  those  committed  were  in- 
mates of  the  fever  wards  a  few  hours  after  com- 
mittal, "f 


*  Census  Commissioners  pp.  300-301. 
fCensus  Commissioners  pp.  304-305, 


126         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

"In  the  year  1848  the  increase  of  committals 
over  those  of  1847  was  34,105. "  * 

The  Census  Commissioner's  report  on  number 
of  deaths  from  fever  (Tables  of  Death,  page  243 ), 
comments : 

1.  "No  pen  has  recorded  the  number  of  the 
forlorn  and  starving  who  perished  by  the  wayside 
or  in  the  ditches,  or  the  mournful  groups,  some- 
times of  whole  families,  who  lay  down  and  died 
one  after  the  other  upon  the  floor  of  their  miser- 
able cabin,  and  so  remained  uncoffined  and  un- 
buried  till  chance  unveiled  the  appalling  scene. ' ' 

Justin  McCarthy,  at  that  time  a  reporter  on  the 
Cork  Examiner,  related  incidents  of  the  horrors 
he  witnessed  at  that  time. 

The  sinister  hinged  coffin,  invented  to  keep  up 
a  semblance  of  Christian  decency  in  burying  the 
dead,  served  for  an  indeterminable  number  of 
corpses  to  be  passed  through. 

In  Skibbereen  I  saw  the  sites  of  two  large  pits, 
into  which  hundreds  of  victims  were  buried  with- 
out coffins,  or  were  passed  through  the  hinged 
coffin  into  the  pits. 

The  years  1848  and  1849  were  as  bad  as  that  of 

*The  Inspectors-General  of  Prisons  report  included  the  fol- 
lowing:— "The  calamitous  visitation  of  the  last  few  years, 
operating  with  no  exclusive  pressure — affecting  the  most  opu- 
lent and  the  humblest  poor  alike — suspending  employment 
and  staying  the  hand  of  charity  has  sorely  tried  the  integrity 
of  our  people.  Larcenies  have  multiplied,  because  ordinarily 
men  will  steal  food  rather  than  die."  Report  of  Inspectors- 
General  of  Prisons:— "Census  Commissioner's  Tables  of 
Deaths,"  p.  311. 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph         127 

1847,  the  official  death  roll  being  higher  in  1849 
than  in  1847. 

The  total  number  of  deaths  reported  from  chol- 
era and  other  epidemics  in  1849  was  240,797,  and 
from  zymotic  diseases  123,386. 

The  foregoing  is  but  a  meagre  description  of 
the  horrors  of  the  famine  and  pestilence  which 
devastated  Ireland  in  1847, 1848,  and  1849. 

The  famine  and  plague  can  only  be  attributed 
to  the  feudal  landlords,  or,  to  go  to  the  real  source, 
to  the  British  Parliament,  through  the  violation 
of  the  terms  of  the  Act  of  Union,  thus  making  such 
barbarous  treatment  of  tenants  possible. 

Humanity  demanded  that  tenants  should  have 
been  protected  during  the  period  of  famine.  Eents 
should  have  been  reduced,  or  cancelled,  as  is  cus- 
tomary with  English  landlords.  But,  what  was 
done  in  Ireland?  I  can  not  go  into  details  to  show 
how  hundreds  of  thousands  of  people  were  driven 
from  their  homes  to  starve  or  die  from  pestilence 
throughout  the  country,  even  where  no  rent  was 
due. 

The  Blue  Book,  No.  1089,  on  "Reports  and  Re- 
turns Relating  to  Evictions  in  the  Kilrush  Union, 
1849,  p.  3,  by  Captain  Kennedy,  serves  to  show  the 
enormity  of  the  crime  against  this  helpless  famine 
stricken  people. 

The  report  covers  the  period  from  Nov.  25, 1847, 
to  June  19, 1849.  I  only  give  a  few  extracts  from 
Captain  Kennedy's  report.  They  tell  their  own 
story : 

"November  25,  1847. — An  immense  number  of 


128         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

small  landholders  are  under  ejectment,  or  notice 
to  quit,  even  where  the  rents  have  been  paid  up. 

"February  11,  1848.—  .  .  .  Upwards  of  120 
houses  have  been  "tumbled"  on  one  property 
within  a  few  weeks,  containing  families  to  a 
greater  number,  many  of  whom  are  burrowing  be- 
hind the  ditches,  without  the  means  of  procuring 
shelter. 

"March  16,  1848. — We  admitted  a  considerable 
number  of  paupers,  among  whom  were  some  of  the 
most  appalling  cases  of  destitution  and  suffering 
it  has  ever  been  my  lot  to  witness.  The  state  of 
most  of  these  wretched  creatures  is  traceable  to 
the  numerous  evictions  which  have  lately  taken 
place  in  the  union.  When  driven  from  their  cabins 
they  betake  themselves  to  the  ditches  or  the  shelter 
of  some  bank,  and  there  exist  like  animals,  till 
starvation  or  the  inclemency  of  the  weather  drives 
them  to  the  workhouse.  There  were  three  cart- 
loads of  these  creatures,  who  could  not  walk, 
brought  for  admission  yesterday,  some  in  fever, 
some  suffering  from  dysentery,  and  all  from  want 
of  food. 

"April  6,  1848. — While  hundreds  are  being 
turned  out  houseless  and  helpless  daily  on  small 
property  in  Killard  division,  no  less  than  twenty- 
three  houses,  containing  probably  one  hundred 
souls,  being  tumbled  in  one  day,  March  27 ;  I  believe 
the  extent  of  land  occupied  with  these  twenty-three 
houses  did  not  exceed  fifty  acres.  The  suffering 
and  misery  attendant  upon  these  wholesale  evic- 
tions is  indescribable.  The  number  of  houseless 
paupers  in  this  union  is  beyond  my  calculation; 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph,         129 

those  evicted  crowd  neighboring  cabins  and  vil- 
lages, and  disease  is  necessarily  generated.  On  its 
first  appearance  the  wretched  sufferer,  and  prob- 
ably the  whole  family  to  which  he  or  she  belongs, 
is  ruthlessly  turned  out  on  the  roadside.  The 
popular  dread  of  dysentery  seeins  to  excuse  any 
degree  of  inhumanity.  The  workhouse  and  tempo- 
rary hospital  are  crowded  to  the  utmost  extent 
they  can  possibly  contain;  the  crowding  of  the 
fever  hospital  causes  me  serious  anxiety.  The  re- 
lieving officer  has  directions  to  send  no  more  in: 
yet,  notwithstanding  this  caution,  panic-stricken 
and  unnatural  parents  frequently  send  in  a  don- 
key-load of  children  in  fever  a  distance  of  four- 
teen or  fifteen  miles  for  admission.  How  to  dis- 
pose of  them  I  know  not. 

"  April  8,  1848.— I  calculate  that  6,000  houses 
•have  been  levelled  since  November,  and  expect  500 
more  before  July. 

"  July  5, 1848. — Twenty  thousand,  or  one-fourth 
of  the  population,  are  now  in  receipt  of  daily  food, 
either  in  or  out  of  the  workhouse.  Disease  has 
unfortunately  kept  pace  with  destitution,  and  the 
high  mortality  at  one  period  since  last  November, 
in  and  out  of  the  workhouse,  was  most  distressing. 
I  have  frequently  been  astonished  by  the  sudden 
and  unexpected  pressure  from  certain  localities; 
this  naturally  induced  an  inquiry  into  the  causes, 
and  eventually  into  a  general  review  of  the  whole 
union.  The  result  of  this  inquiry  has  convinced 
me  that  destitution  has  been  increased,  and  its 
character  fearfully  aggravated  by  the  system  of 
ivholesale  evictions  which  has  been  adopted;  that 


180         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

a  fearful  amount  of  disease  and  mortality  has  also 
resulted  from  the  same  causes,  I  can  not  doubt, 
I  have  painful  experience  of  it  daily.  [The  italics 
are  mine.]  To  make  this  understood,  I  may 
state,  in  general  terms,  that  about  900  houses, 
containing  probably  4,000  occupants,  have  been 
levelled  in  this  union  since  last  November.  The 
wretchedness,  ignorance  and  helplessness  of  the 
poor  on  the  western  coast  of  this  union  pre- 
vent them  seeking  a  shelter  elsewhere;  and,  to 
use  their  own  phrase,  "they  don't  know  where 
to  face";  they  linger  about  the  localities  for 
weeks  or  months,  burrowing  behind  the  ditches, 
under  a  few  broken  rafters  of  their  former  dwell- 
ing, refusing  to  enter  the  workhouse  till  the 
parents  are  broken  down  and  the  children  half 
starved,  when  they  come  into  the  workhouse  to 
swell  the  mortality  one  by  one.  Those  who  obtain 
a  temporary  shelter  in  adjoining  cabins  are  not 
more  fortunate.  Fever  and  dysentery  shortly 
make  their  appearance,  when  those  affected  are 
put  out  by  the  roadside  as  carelessly  and  ruth- 
lessly as  if  they  were  animals;  when  frequently 
after  days  and  nights  of  exposure,  they  are  sent 
in  by  the  relieving  officers  when  in  a  helpless  state. 
These  inhuman  acts  are  induced  by  the  popular 
terror  of  fever.  I  have  frequently  reported  cases 
of  this  sort.  The  misery  attendant  upon  these 
wholesale  and  simultaneous  evictions  is  frequently 
aggravated  by  hunting  these  ignorant,  helpless 
creatures  off  the  property,  from  which,  perhaps, 
they  have  never  wandered  five  miles.  It  is  not  an 
unusual  occurrence  to  see  forty  or  fifty  houses 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph         131 

levelled  in  one  day,  and  orders  given  that  no  re- 
maining tenant  or  occupier  should  give  them  even 
a  night's  shelter.  I  have  known  some  ruthless 
acts  committed  by  drivers  and  sub-agents,  but 
no  doubt,  according  to  law  (the  law  of  Christian 
England!)  however  repulsive  to  humanity; 
wretched  hovels  pulled  down,  where  the  in- 
mates were  in  a  helpless  state  of  fever  and 
nakedness,  and  left  by  the  roadside  for  days.  As 
many  as  300  souls,  creatures  of  the  most  helpless 
class  have  been  left  houseless  in  one  day,  and  the 
suffering  and  misery  therefrom  attributed  to  in- 
sufficient relief  or  maladministration  of  the  law: 
it  would  not  be  a  matter  of  surprise  that  it  failed 
altogether  in  such  localities  as  those  I  allude  to. 
1 '  When  relieved,  charges  of  profuse  expenditure 
are  readily  preferred.  The  evicted  crowd  into  the 
back  lanes  and  wretched  hovels  of  the  towns  and 
villages,  scattering  disease  and  dismay  in  all  direc- 
tions. The  character  of  some  of  these  hovels  de- 
fies description.  I  not  long  since  found  a  widow, 
whose  three  children  were  in  fever,  occupying  the 
piggery  of  their  former  cabin,  which  lay  beside 
them  in  ruins ;  however  incredible  it  may  appear, 
this  place  they  had  lived  in  for  weeks,  measured 
five  feet  by  four,  and  of  corresponding  height.  I 
offered  her  a  free  conveyance  to  the  workhouse, 
which  she  steadily  refused;  her  piggery  was 
knocked  down  as  soon  as  her  children  were  able  to 
crawl  out  on  recovery ;  and  she  has  now  gone  forth 
a  wanderer.  I  could  not  induce  any  neighbor  to 
take  her  in,  even  for  payment;  she  had  medical 
aid,  and  all  necessary  relief  from  the  union." 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

When  it  is  borne  in  mind  that  the  above  report 
refers  to  one  union  only,  the  extent  of  suffering 
throughout  the  country  must  have  been  appalling 
and  indescribable. 

What  is  the  manner  of  the  evictions  f 

Let  us  quote  an  eye-witness,  the  Most  Reverend 
Dr.  Nulty,  Lord  Bishop  of  Meath.  The  event  oc- 
curred in  September,  1847,  near  Mount  Nugent, 
county  Cavan.  Dr.  Nulty  says: 

"In  the  very  first  year  of  our  ministry,  as  a  Mis- 
sionary Priest  in  this  diocese,  we  were  an  eye- 
witness of  a  cruel  and  inhuman  eviction,  which 
even  still  makes  our  heart  bleed  as  often  as  we 
allow  ourselves  to  think  of  it. 

"Seven  hundred  human  beings  were  driven 
from  their  homes  in  one  day  and  set  adrift  on  the 
world,  to  gratify  the  caprice  of  one  who,  before 
God  and  man,  probably  deserved  less  considera- 
tion than  the  last  and  least  of  them.  And  we  re- 
member well  that  there  was  not  a  single  shilling 
of  rent  due  on  the  estate  at  the  time,  except  by 
one  man ;  and  the  character  and  acts  of  that  man 
made  it  perfectly  clear  that  the  agent  and  himself 
quite  understood  each  other. 

"The  Crow-bar  Brigade,  employed  on  the  occa- 
sion to  extinguish  the  hearths  and  demolish  the 
homes  of  honest,  industrious  men,  worked  away 
with  a  will  at  their  awful  calling  until  evening. 
At  length  an  incident  occurred  that  varied  the  mo- 
notony of  the  grim,  ghastly  ruin  which  they  were 
spreading  all  around.  They  stopped  suddenly,  and 
recoiled  panic-stricken  with  terror  from  two  dwell- 
ings which  they  were  directed  to  destroy  with  the 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph         133 

rest.  They  had  just  learned  that  a  frightful 
typhus  fever  held  those  houses  in  its  grasp,  and 
had  already  brought  pestilence  and  death  to  their 
inmates.  They,  therefore,  supplicated  the  agent  to 
spare  these  houses  a  little  longer;  but  the  agent 
was  inexorable,  and  insisted  that  the  houses  should 
come  down.  The  ingenuity  with  which  he  extri- 
cated himself  from  the  difficulties  of  the  situation 
was  characteristic  alike  of  the  heartlessness  of  the 
man  and  of  the  cruel  necessities  of  the  work  in 
which  he  was  engaged.  He  ordered  a  large  win- 
nowing-sheet  to  be  secured  over  the  beds  in  which 
the  fever  victims  lay — fortunately  they  happened 
to  be  perfectly  delirious  at  the  time — and  then 
directed  the  houses  to  be  unroofed  cautiously  and 
slowly,  'because,'  he  said,  'he  very  much  disliked 
the  bother  and  discomfort  of  a  coroner's  inquest.' 
I  administered  the  last  sacrament  of  the  church 
to  four  of  these  fever  victims  next  day ;  and,  save 
the  above-mentioned  winnowing-sheet,  there  was 
not  then  a  roof  nearer  to  me  than  the  canopy  of 
heaven. 

* '  The  horrid  scenes  I  then  witnessed  I  shall  re- 
member all  my  life  long.  The  wailing  of  women ; 
the  screams,  the  terror,  the  consternation  of  chil- 
dren ;  the  speechless  agony  of  honest,  industrious 
men,  wrung  tears  of  grief  from  all  who  saw  them. 
I  saw  the  officers  of  a  large  police  force,  who  were 
obliged  to  attend  on  the  occasion,  cry  like  children 
at  beholding  the  cruel  sufferings  of  the  very  peo- 
ple whom  they  would  be  obliged  to  butcher  had 
they  offered  the  least  resistance.  The  heavy  rains 
that  usually  attend  the  autumnal  equinoxes  de- 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

scended  in  cold,  copious  torrents  throughout  the 
night,  and  at  once  revealed  to  those  sufferers  the 
awful  realities  of  their  condition.  I  visited  them 
next  morning,  and  rode  from  place  administering 
to  them  all  the  comfort  and  consolation  I  could. 
The  appearance  of  men,  women,  and  children,  as 
they  emerged  from  the  ruins  of  their  former 
homes — saturated  with  rain,  blackened  and  be- 
smeared with  soot,  shivering  in  every  member 
from  cold  and  misery — presented  positively  the 
most  appalling  spectacle  I  ever  looked  at.  The 
landed  proprietors  in  a  circle  all  around — and  for 
many  miles  in  every  direction — warned  their  ten- 
antry, with  threats  of  their  direst  vengeance, 
against  the  humanity  of  extending  to  any  of  them 
the  hospitality  of  a  night's  shelter.  Many  of  these 
poor  people  were  unable  to  emigrate  with  their 
families;  while,  at  home,  the  hand  of  every  man 
was  raised  against  them.  They  were  driven 
from  the  land  on  which  Providence  had  placed 
them;  and,  in  the  state  of  society  surrounding 
them,  every  other  walk  of  life  was  rigidly  closed 
to  them.  What  was  the  result  f  After  battling 
in  vain  with  privation  and  pestilence,  they  at  last 
graduated  from  the  workhouse  to  the  tomb;  and 
in  little  more  than  three  years,  nearly  a  fourth  of 
them  lay  quietly  in  their  graves." 

The  foregoing  gruesome  history  of  1847- '48- '49 
will  serve  to  give  the  reader  some  idea  of  the  suf- 
ferings in  Ireland  during  the  time  that  I  was  there, 
1877- '79. 

The  famine  and  evictions,  while  not  so  bad  as 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  GuelpJi         135 

the  famine  and  pestilence  of  1847- '48- '49,  was  suf- 
ficiently heartrending  to  make  a  lifelong  impres- 
sion upon  me.  The  wholesale  evictions  and  the 
heartless  manner  in  which  the  people  were  thrown 
out  of  their  homes  proved  that  the  Irish  landlords 
of  1879  were  as  barbarous  and  inhuman  as  they 
were  in  1846- '47- '48  and  '49. 

The  more  closely  I  have  followed  the  Irish  ques- 
tion during  the  years  which  have  intervened  since 
I  sailed  from  Cork  to  India,  on  September  29, 
1879,  the  more  I  have  blushed  for  shame  for  the 
manner  in  which  the  British  Parliament  has  op- 
posed every  measure  introduced  for  the  ameliora- 
tion of  the  condition  of  the  people  of  Ireland. 

The  late  Charles  Stuart  Parnell  and  other 
champions  of  the  Irish  cause  were  subjected  to  all 
manner  of  unjust  treatment  as  representatives 
in  the  House  of  Commons  by  their  bigoted  oppo- 
nents, who,  rather  than  allow  a  measure  to  pass  the 
House,  have  suspended  Irish  members,  stooped  to 
diabolical  intrigue  such  as  tiring  out  the  few  faith- 
ful Patriots  by  extended  sessions  of  thirty-six 
hours  or  more,  which  was  nothing  to  the  plotters, 
who  arranged  for  relays  or  reliefs  of  their  own 
party. 

They  did  not  hesitate  to  throw  these  gentlemen 
into  prison  or  even  to  transport  them  to  Spike  Is- 
land, Dartmoor  or  other  convict  settlements,  un- 
der the  barbarous  and  absurd  Act  the  34,  Edward 
III  of  1360  (obsolete  in  Great  Britain  but  still  in 
force  in  Ireland). 

To  what  can  we  attribute  the  cause  of  this  suf- 
fering, misery,  injustice,  persecution  and  misrule! 


136         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

The  answer  to  the  first  part  of  the  question  is 
illustrated  in  the  two  following  paragraphs;  and 
the  answer  to  the  latter  part  of  the  question  will 
be  found  in  the  next  chapter. 

The  great  number  of  silk-hatted  and  frock- 
coated  commercial  travelers  met  with  in  Ireland, 
representing  English  manufacturers  and  whole- 
sale houses  tells  its  own  story.  The  trade  was 
practically  in  the  hands  of  the  English.  The  poor 
Irish  salesmen  in  their  plain  attire  failed  to  pro- 
duce the  psychological  impression  upon  the  shop- 
keeper that  the  English  dandies  made  upon  them. 

It  is  an  old  saying  that ' l  there  is  something  rot- 
ten in  the  State  of  Denmark." 

Since  the  introduction  of  Alexandra,  and  with 
her,  the  Danish  rule  in  England  in  1863  there  has 
been  something  rotten  in  Ireland.  Danish  influ- 
ence at  the  English  Court  is  responsible  for  the 
Danish  invasion  of  the  English  market,  to  which 
Ireland  owes  much  of  its  poverty  and  distress. 
While  Ireland  has  suffered  for  many  years,  there 
is  no  parallel  in  the  history  of  the  misery  of  her 
people  since  that  time,  as  is  shown  by  the  fact  that 
there  were  two  hundred  thousand  evictions  during 
the  reign  of  my  grandmother,  the  late  Queen  Vic- 
toria, and  by  the  terrible  scenes  enacted  against 
the  Land  League  and  other  organizations  estab- 
lished by  Irish  patriots  for  the  protection  of  the 
honor  of  their  hearth  and  home. 

The  application  of  the  absurd  Act  34  Edward 
III  of  1360  (see  paper  on  Empire  Keform  League 
and  Addenda)  to  suppress  the  efforts  of  such  men 
as  Charles  Stuart  Parnell,  Michael  Davitt  and 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph        137 

others,  by  throwing  them  into  prison  without  trial, 
reflected  upon  the  Government  rather  than  upon 
the  noble  "offenders." 

Some  idea  of  the  sufferings  of  the  people  in  Ire- 
land during  my  three  years'  sojourn  in  that  coun- 
try may  be  gathered  from  the  following  figures 
showing  the  depreciation  in  the  potato  crop  from 
1876  to  1879 : 

VALUE.* 

1876 £12,464,382 

1877 5,271,822 

1878  7,579,512 

1879  3,341,512 

The  average  crop  for  ten  years  was  60,752,918 
cwts.  The  crop  for  1879  was  22,273,520  cwts. 

The  official  record  of  evictions  for  the  same 
years  was  as  follows :  t 

1876  1,269 

1877  1,323 

1878  1,749 

1879  2,667 

Thus  there  was  no  mercy  shown  by  the  Irish 
landlords  to  the  famine  stricken  tenants.  Under 
such  conditions  it  is  little  wonder  that  violent 
crime  should  have  been  prevalent,  or  that  men  of 
principle  should  stand  for  liberty  and  justice. 

The  painful  impressions  which  I  took  with  me 

"Thaw's  Directory. 
.     tHealy,  p.  2. 


138         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

from  Ireland  have  remained  with  me  throughout 
my  life. 

The  agrarian  difficulties  have  since  been  ad- 
justed by  legislation,  and  the  economic  conditions 
much  improved,  but  through  my  present  political 
campaign  I  hope  to  further  help  that  long-suffer- 
ing people,  on  lines  set  out  in  the  communications 
published  in  the  addenda  hereto.  (See  paper  on 
"The  Empire  Eeform  League.") 


CHAPTER  XIV 

QUEEN  VICTORIA'S  PEG-GERMAN  POLICY  CAUSE  OF  OP- 
PRESSION   IN    IRELAND PROCLAMATION    FOR 

THE  EMANCIPATION  OF  IRELAND 

IF  evidence  be  wanted  to  prove  the  pro-German 
policy  of  my  grandmother,  the  late  Queen  Victoria, 
for  the  Government  of  the  United  Kingdom  of 
Great  Britain  and  Ireland,  to  the  detriment  of  the 
latter  Kingdom,  it  is  not  far  to  seek. 

I.  In  the  bitter  antipathy  entertained  by  her 
Majesty  toward  the  Irish  race  in  general  and  to 
the  Irish  Princess  Consort  of  her  first-born  son, 
Albert  Edward  Prince  of  Wales,  and  to  the  future 
Celtic  King  John  in  particular. 

II.  In  the  readiness  with  which  Her  Majesty  en- 
couraged the  Emperor  William's  selfish  demands 
for  something  for  nothing  whereby  to  strengthen 
the  strategic  position  of  Germany — preparatory 
to  the  German  invasion  of  England !    My  grand- 
mother, while  tracing  her  ancestors  back  to  the 
House  of  David  through  the  ancient  Irish  Kings, 
was  born  and  brought  up  under  purely  German  in- 
fluence.    Her  whole  character  and  make-up  was 
German.    She  could  wed  none  other  than  a  Ger- 
man; and  she  wedded  as  many  as  possible  of  her 
children  to  Germans.    The  Deceased  Wife's  Sis- 

139 


140         Memoirs  of  Prmce  John  De  Guelph 

ter's  Bill  was  her  pet  hobby.  She  wanted  it  passed 
in  order  that  she  might  then  marry  the  Princess 
Beatrice  to  the  Keigning  Grand  Duke  of  Hesse- 
Darmstadt,  the  widower  of  the  Princess  Alice. 

The  Grand-Duke  thwarted  his  irate  mother-in- 
law  in  this  scheme  by  marrying  Madame  Kalo- 
mine,  referred  to  in  another  chapter. 

Nothing  daunted,  the  Queen  found  another  Ger- 
man for  Beatrice — Prince  Henry  of  Battenberg. 

My  poor,  dear,  autocratic  grandmother!  I  can 
imagine  the  scene  which  occurred  when  the  news 
was  first  gently  broken  to  her  in  the  Spring  of 
1860,  that  the  Consort  of  her  successor  would 
mean  an  Irish  Queen  in  England;  and  that  the 
next  generation  would  see  an  Irish  King,  who  had 
imbibed  Irish  principles,  Irish  virtues,  and  the 
essence  of  sympathy  for  Irish  suffering,  with  his 
mother's  milk. 

Little  wonder,  indeed,  that  my  grandmother 
suddenly  remembered  that  many  years  previously 
she  had  promised  Canada  that  her  son  should  visit 
that  Colony.  The  opportune  moment  had  arrived ; 
and  Canada  was  forthwith  advised  that  the  Prince 
of  Wales  was  about  to  make  the  long  promised 
visit. 

Little  wonder  that  my  poor  dear  mother  was 
kept  virtually  a  prisoner  in  Windsor  Castle  pend- 
ing her  accouchement ;  small  wonder,  indeed,  that 
that  pro-German  Queen  should  have  torn  from  its 
mother's  breast  the  infant  Prince,  in  whom  she 
saw  the  overthrow  of  her  cherished  plans  for  the 
continued  German  rule  over  the  United  Kingdom 
of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland. 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph         141 

To  effectively  remove  the  danger  of  a  Celtic 
King,  it  was  necessary  that  the  most  drastic  meas- 
ures should  be  taken  to  remove  the  infant  heir  pre- 
sumptive to  the  throne  as  far  as  possible  from  the 
environments  of  court  life  and  to  keep  from  him 
all  knowledge  of  his  identity  and  rightful  inheri- 
tance. 

While  treating  upon  the  subject  of  Ireland  and 
the  late  Queen's  policy  in  regard  to  the  future  of 
Great  Britain  and  Ireland,  it  may  be  well  to  make 
public,  to  some  extent  at  least,  how  the  Emperor 
William  II  of  Germany  fell  in  with  his  grand- 
mother's plan  in  this  direction.  It  is  well  known 
that  William  seldom  visited  his  grandmother 
without  attempting  to  wheedle  some  concession 
from  her,  even  though  it  might  be  nothing  more 
than  a  coaling  station  for  his  fleet. 

That  William  was  familiar  with  Queen  Vic- 
toria's pro-German  policy  may  be  seen  from  his 
cunning  but  ill-conceived  plans  for  the  invasion  of 
Great  Britain. 

England  has  had  an  acute  attack  of  Germana- 
phobia  for  some  time.  Let  us  diagnose  this 
dreaded  disease.  The  primary  cause  is  a  German 
parasite  of  abnormal  mental  proclivities,  which 
induce  visions  of  imaginary  conquests  of  British 
Armadas  and  British  strongholds. 

Its  attack  upon  the  unprotected  and  unwary 
Britisher  need  not  necessarily  be  fatal  to  the 
Briton.  But,  like  a  pest  fly  tormenting  an  ele- 
phant, it  needs  to  be  swished  off  with  the  tail. 

The  hallucination  from  which  my  deluded  cousin 
is  suffering  is  the  idea  that  it  is  up  to  him  to  save 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

the  world,  or,  in  other  words,  to  rule  the  world 
with  his  imperial  right  hand. 

Taking  advantage  of  the  British  misrule  in  Ire- 
land, and  the  consequent  suffering,  starvation  and 
the  wanton  sacrifice  of  life  for  centuries  past, 
William's  agents  have  been  active  in  condemning 
the  injustice  of  England  in  insisting  upon  main- 
taining the  Act  of  Union,  the  provisions  of  which 
have  been  violated  with  impunity,  and  which  viola- 
tions are  responsible  for  the  terrible  injustice  and 
misery  inflicted  upon  that  unhappy  country.  In- 
deed, William  has  intimated  his  willingness,  had 
he  the  power,  to  give  Ireland  her  independence, 
and  the  same  to  Scotland  and  Wales — under  a 
German  protectorate  of  course.  He  would  even  go 
so  far  as  to  allow  England  to  retain  her  indepen- 
dence on  the  same  terms — with  a  German  King  on 
the  English  Throne. 

This  plan  was  matured  and  ready  to  put  into  op- 
eration in  June,  1902.  How? 

I.  The  death  of  my  father,  the  late  King  Ed- 
ward VII  was  momentarily  expected  a  few  days 
following  the  date  set  for  his  coronation. 

II.  The  nation  was  pre-occupied  with  its  grief, 
and  an  invasion  at  that  time  would  have  been  a 
complete  surprise. 

III.  The  military  strength  and  home  defenses 
had  been  materially  weakened  by  the  South  Afri- 
can War. 

IV.  While  the  British  Navy  was  cruising  in 
peaceful  waters  with  a  small  fleet  sleeping  in  false 
security  off  Portsmouth,  an  imposing  and  for- 
midable German  fleet  under  the  command  of  Prince 


Photograph  by  Pach  Bros.,   New  York 

PRINCE    JOHN   DE    GUELPH 
King-Emperor  de  Jure  Great  Britain  and  Ireland,  and  India 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph        143 

Henry  of  Prussia  was  lying  in  Dublin  Bay,  Ire- 
land. The  presence  of  the  German  fleet  in  Dublin 
Bay  at  so  critical  a  moment  gave  rise  to  no  ap- 
prehension in  the  War  office  or  Admirality.  The 
German  fleet  was  merely  cruising  to  give  Prince 
Henry  a  "good  time." 

V.  Had  King  Edward  VII  died  at  that  time  it- 
requires  no  stretch  of  the  imagination  to  see  the 
German  fleet  cross  the  channel;  to  hear  Prince 
Henry  of  Prussia  proclaimed  King  of  England! 
That  such  was  William's  programme  I  learned 
from  reliable  authority  shortly  after  my  father's 
recovery,  when  I  was  in  San  Francisco. 

VI.  The  German  invasion  of  England  under  the 
conditions  prevailing  at  that  time  would  have  been 
a  "dress  parade"  affair,  and  the  Germanizing  of 
the  United  Kingdom  of  Great  Britain  and  Ire- 
land, as  separate  Kingdoms  of  England,  Ireland 
and  Scotland,  and  the  principality  of  Wales,  with 
the  Emperor  as  the  actual  autocratic  ruler,  would 
have  proceeded  with  the  lightning-like  rapidity, 
possible  only  to  one  afflicted  with  the  abnormal  and 
exaggerated  mental  visions  of  a  world  empire  in 
a  decade,  such  as  is  fast  carrying  William  to  the 
unhappy  fate  of  his  great  uncle. 

Fortunately  for  the  Celtic  race,  as  also  for  Eng- 
land, and  the  world  at  large,  William's  little  plan 
between  ' i  Me  and  Gott ' '  was  not  destined  to  meet 
with  divine  sanction  or  support. 

As  has  been  seen  from  the  sixty  years'  reign  of 
the  pro-German  Queen  Victoria,  German  interests 
are  opposed  to  Irish  independence. 

A  German  protectorate  over  the  proposed  in- 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

dependent  Celtic  kingdoms  of  Ireland  and  Scot- 
land and  the  independent  principality  of  Wales, 
would  not  benefit  the  Celtic  race  in  the  end,  any 
more  than  German  domination  in  England  would 
benefit  that  country.  German  influence  operates 
for  German  interests  and  German  interests  alone, 
as  witness  the  German  Millers'  "combination 
rings,"  paying  unfortunate  cultivators  in  India 
from  sixty  per  cent,  to  seventy-five  per  cent,  of  the 
actual  cost  of  production  for  rice  and  wheat. 

As  such  robbery  in  the  name  of  commerce  is  re- 
sponsible for  the  frequent  and  terrible  famines  in 
India,  the  introduction  of  similar  measures  in  Ire- 
land would  be  attended  by  the  same  disastrous  re- 
sults, and  the  last  condition  of  the  Irish  race  would 
be  worse  than  the  first. 

William's  agents  are  again  urging  a  German- 
American-Celtic  alliance  on  the  foregoing  terms. 

In  the  interests  of  my  people,  being  myself  Cel- 
tic by  birth  and  lifelong  associations,  and  in  the 
interest  of  peace,  I  most  devoutly  pray  that  the 
Irish  people  in  particular  and  the  Celtic  race  in 
general  will  not  risk  losing  their  identity  by  en- 
couraging the  introduction  of  German  blood,  and 
German  rapacity  into  Ireland. 

The  future  peace  and  prosperity  of  the  Celtic 
race  lies  in  their  loyalty  to  their  rightful  Celtic 
King. 


CHAPTER  XV 

I  SAIL  FOR  INDIA — INCIDENTS  OF  VOYAGE 

IN  the  month  of  August,  1879,  I  received  the 
welcome  news  that  I  was,  at  last,  to  be  drafted  to 
India  to  join  the  Second  Battalion  of  my  regiment 
then  stationed  at  Secunderabad,  in  the  Hydera- 
bad Deccan. 

The  number  of  officers,  non-commissioned  offi- 
cers and  men  drafted  from  the  First  to  the  Second 
Battalion  with  me  was  about  two  hundred  and 
fifty.  The  last  few  weeks  we  spent  in  Ireland 
were  full  of  excitement  in  preparing  for  foreign 
service.  Indian  kits  were  served  out,  and  the  men 
about  to  be  drafted  obtained  leave  of  absence  to 
go  to  their  homes  to  say  good-bye  to  their  parents, 
brothers  and  sisters  and  to  their  sweethearts. 
This  latter  manifestation  of  filial  love  of  the  sol- 
dier to  father  and  mother  awakened  very  painful 
emotions  in  my  own  heart.  The  soldier,  son  of  the 
very  poorest  people  of  the  slums  of  our  great 
cities,  took  his  leave  of  absence  with  a  light 
heart,  and,  purchasing  presents  for  those  whom 
he  loved,  went  home  to  take  a  last  farewell  before 
proceeding  to  the  distant  shores  of  India,  from 
which  many  of  them  never  returned,  having  fal- 
len victims  of  cholera,  fevers,  dysentery  and  other 

145 


146         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

tropical  diseases.  But  I,  the  first-born  son  of  the 
first  gentleman  of  England,  the  first  peer  of  the 
realm,  the  (then)  heir  apparent  to  the  throne  of 
Great  Britain  and  Ireland  and  the  Empire  of 
India,  was  obliged  to  bury  my  identity  and  sup- 
press the  emotions  of  a  heart  full  of  sorrow,  and 
in  response  to  the  solicitations  of  my  officers  as 
to  whether  I  did  not  wish  leave  of  absence  to  bid 
farewell  to  my  parents,  I,  the  rightful  heir-per- 
sumptive  to  the  throne,  could  only  reply,  "I  have 
no  parents  to  whom  to  say  good-bye. " 

I  was  a  member  of  a  regiment  a  thousand  strong, 
but  I  had  to  bury  my  secret  sorrow,  and  had  I 
been  alone  upon  that  great  Egyptian  desert  I  could 
not  have  been  at  once  cast  into  greater  solitude. 

I  had  never  experienced  such  a  feeling  of  ut- 
ter loneliness  as  at  that  time.  I  felt  like  a  child 
utterly  cast  out,  and  about  to  depart  to  a  land 
far  removed  from  my  dear  mother  for  whose  lov- 
ing embrace  my  heart  yearned  as  never  before. 

The  29th  day  of  September,  the  day  for  our  de- 
parture at  length  arrived  and  we  entrained  at 
Athlone  for  Cork  Harbor  and  embarked  on  board 
H.  M.  Troopship,  the  Malabar. 

There  were  on  board  about  twelve  hundred 
troops,  composed  of  drafts  to  various  infantry 
and  calvary  regiments  and  artillery  stationed  in 
India.  We  sailed  the  same  afternoon,  Saturday, 
September  29th,  1879. 

We  had  an  uneventful  voyage.  The  monotony 
was  broken  by  the  daily  parades  and  inspections, 
watch  and  other  duties,  sports,  minstrels  and 
threatrical  entertainments. 


Memoirs   of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

Our  first  day  at  sea  was  made  somewhat  im- 
pressive by  reason  of  the  church  service  parade, 
which  was  a  strange  and  novel  experience  on  the 
broad  expanse  of  the  ocean. 

On  Monday  morning,  while  my  mind  was  pre- 
occupied with  the  painful  reflections  of  my  posi- 
tion, and  of  the  fact  that  I  was  exiling  myself  to 
a  land  where  I  would  be  still  further  removed  from 
my  parents  and  my  birthright,  I  could  not  stifle 
the  pangs  of  regret  at  this  cruel  separation  nor  the 
anger  that  would  arise  against  my  grandmother 
for  her  cruel  treatment  of  my  mother  and  myself. 

This  natural  indignation  was  not  appeased  when 
on  answering  my  regimental  bugle  call,  I  found 
myself  to  be  one  of  a  party  to  swab  the  deck  of 
the  ship. 

I  looked  at  the  senior  sergeant  in  charge  of  our 
party,  Tom  Williams,  a  man  with  only  a  few  days 
more  service  than  myself,  and  whose  senior  or 
superior  I  would  have  been  had  I  accepted  my 
commanding  officer's  offer  of  promotion  more 
than  two  years  before. 

Glancing  along  the  deck  of  the  troopship,  I 
observed  some  sprigs  of  officers  in  the  Queen's 
uniform  whom  I  concluded  would  appear  to  bet- 
ter advantage  were  they  tagged  onto  their 
mothers '  apron  strings. 

Here  were  upstart  sons  of  the  gentry  and  aris- 
tocracy, fresh  from  Sandhurst  with  an  abnormal 
expansion  of  chest  and  head  that  made  the  Gen- 
eral and  field  officers  on  board  look  like  common 
marines.  It  is  surprising  to  contemplate  the  pow- 
er of  imagination  of  some  of  these  young  snobs 


148         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

in  finding  fault  with  their  betters — the  trained 
soldiers. 

It  was  this  momentary  review  of  the  situation 
and  the  secret  of  my  false  position  that  gave  me 
the  first  twinge  of  regret  at  not  having  pushed 
myself  ahead  in  my  two  years'  service,  during 
which  time  I  could  have  become  quarter-master 
sergeant  with  a  commission  in  near  view. 

As  the  men  were  ordered  to  proceed  with  the 
swabbing  of  the  deck,  Sergeant  Williams  called 
me  from  the  ranks  and  said,  "You  have  no  busi- 
ness here ;  this  is  no  work  for  you.  You  had  bet- 
ter go  down  and  report  yourself  to  Lieut.  Begbie 
of  the  South  Wales  Borderers.  He  wants  someone 
to  look  after  him  during  the  voyage. ' ' 

I  accordingly  made  the  acquaintance  of  Mr. 
Begbie,  who  occupied  a  cabin  with  Lieut.  Grant  on 
the  main  troop-deck. 

Mr.  Grant  was  already  familiarizing  himself 
with  the  pleasures  of  the  first  sea-voyage — mal- 
de-mer,  and  was  also  very  grateful  to  have  my 
assistance. 

So  it  was  that  I  had  the  run  of  the  officers7 
saloon,  could  enjoy  the  quietude  of  a  private  cabin 
and  all  the  privileges  of  the  officers'  mess  in  return 
for  looking  after  the  comfort  of  these  two  young 
officers. 

As  Grant's  sea-sickness  grew  worse  from  day  to 
day,  my  sympathy  led  me  to  try  to  relieve  him.  I, 
accordingly,  sought  advice  from  a  marine  who  had 
seen  much  service. 

That  worthy  recommended  a  pint  tumbler  full 
of  sea-water,  which  I  accordingly  prescribed  for 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph         149 

poor  Grant  and  saw  to  it  that  he  took  the  medi- 
cine. It  was  in  vain  that  he  pleaded  to  be  excused 
from  taking  the  last  quarter  of  the  dose. 

I  insisted  that  what  he  had  taken  would  have  no 
beneficial  effect  unless  he  took  the  full  dose.  Like 
a  brave  soldier  he  made  a  final  charge  and  swal- 
lowed the  remains  of  the  tumbler  of  sea-water,  and 
promptly  brought  up  an  ocean.  I  thought  poor 
Grant  would  have  died,  but  laughingly  consoled 
him  with  assurances  that  he  was  already  looking 
better  and  would  be  able  to  go  on  deck  and  get 
the  fresh  air  in  another  five  minutes. 

I  gave  him  a  little  champagne  to  settle  his 
stomach  and  to  get  his  mind  in  more  cheerful 
channels  than  that  on  which  it  was  set,  for  he  de- 
clared he  was  dying  and  would  never  see  his  poor 
mother  again. 

I  would  most  cheerfully  have  changed  places 
with  him,  but  as  that  was  impossible  I  further  as- 
sisted him  in  drinking  the  champagne. 

Whether  the  remarkable  results  that  followed 
were  due  to  the  sea-water,  the  champagne  or  my 
good-humored  banter  I  do  not  pretend  to  say;  I 
accompanied  him  on  deck  a  few  minutes  later  and 
the  sea-sickness  passed  off. 

Needless  to  say  that  when  my  style  of  treatment 
leaked  out,  Grant  was  made  the  butt  for  a  good 
many  jokes  during  the  voyage.  "  Jonah,"  he  was 
told,  "was  spewed  up  by  the  whale,"  but  it  was 
left  for  Grant  to  "spew  up  the  ocean." 

Having  been  thus  transferred  to  the  officers' 
saloon,  I  was  relieved  from  all  military  duty  and 
enjoyed  practically  the  same  advantages  as  the 


150        Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Gudph 

officers  during  the  voyage,  both  as  regards  ac- 
commodation and  mess. 

Lieut.  Begbie  was  a  devout  Christian  man  and  as 
I  was  similarly  inclined  I  very  much  enjoyed  the 
privacy  of  his  stateroom  for  meditation  and  de- 
votion. 

Our  first  stop  was  at  Gibraltar  and  our  next  at 
Malta.  Our  stay  at  each  of  these  British  military 
stations  was  only  for  an  hour  or  so. 

On  dropping  anchor  at  Malta  the  ship  was  im- 
mediately surrounded  by  native  boats,  manned 
by  a  most  picturesque  crew  of  natives.  Their 
cargoes  consisted  of  all  kinds  of  fruits,  laces, 
shawls,  curios,  and  a  variety  of  other  wares. 
While  the  men  and  women  were  doing  a  great 
trade  with  the  troops  on  board,  the  small  boys 
caused  much  amusement  by  diving  to  great  depths 
after  money  thrown  into  the  water. 

This  was  a  very  amusing  but  expensive  pas- 
time for  Tommy  Atkins. 

A  great  number  of  officers  and  men  had  been 
sea-sick  during  the  first  part  of  the  voyage  and 
many  of  them  had  fully  recovered,  but  our  ex- 
perience in  that  direction  had  been  nothing  to 
what  followed  on  sailing  from  Malta. 

There  was  a  heavy  swell,  which  soon  caused  a 
fermentation  of  the  half  ripe  fruits  ravenously 
consumed  by  the  men  in  Malta. 

One  man  who  had  bought  a  bunch  of  bananas, 
not  quite  half  ripe,  remarked  that  he  had  always 
heard  that  the  banana  was  a  very  delicious  fruit; 
he  had  never  tasted  anything  more  like  mottled 
soap  in  his  life,  and  if  the  nobility  thought  that 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelpli 

was  like  custard  they  were  welcome  to  it;  suiting 
the  action  to  the  word,  he  invited  a  young  officer 
to  join  him  with  a  banana.  The  subaltern  readily 
fell  into  the  trap,  just  to  show  that  there  was  no 
ill  fee-ling  toward  the  "common"  sailor,  and 
munched  heartily  at  his  hard  banana  with  the  re- 
sult that  he  promptly  threw  it  to  the  fishes. 

When  lying  in  the  Suez  canal  one  evening  a 
number  of  officers  went  ashore  and  walked  across 
the  sands  in  search  of  game.  My  friend  Lieut. 
Grant,  who  was  one  of  the  party,  managed  to  sep- 
arate himself  from  the  rest  and  lost  his  way. 

It  was  quite  late  before  he  eventually  got  his 
bearings  and  found  his  way  back  to  the  ship.  In 
order  not  to  give  an  alarm  and  thereby  get  himself 
in  trouble,  Grant  swam  the  canal  with  his  clothes 
on,  and  came  aboard  long  after  midnight  like  a 
drowned  rat. 

The  most  impressive  incident  of  the  voyage  to 
the  young  soldiers  was  the  burial  of  a  comrade  in 
mid-ocean.  We  were  prepared  to  be  shot  and  have 
our  bones  bleached  by  a  tropical  sun,  but  to  be  fed 
to  the  sharks  was  something  that  we  had  not  cal- 
culated upon. 

On  October  28th,  we  landed  at  Bombay,  where  I 
took  farewell  of  Lieut.  Begbie,  Grant  and  others, 
as  the  members  of  the  different  regiments  set  out 
for  different  parts  of  that  vast  peninsula. 


CHAPTER  XVI 


MY  WELCOME  TO  INDIA  IN  STEIKING  CONTRAST  TO  THAT 

OF    MY    FATHER — MY    FIKST    IMPRESSIONS    OF    THE 

LAND   OF   FAMINE — " INDIANS   CORAL   STRANDS " — 

"THE  VALLEY  OF  DRY  BONES" — THE  DYING  AND 

THE  DEAD SHAPE  MY  FUTURE  LIFE  AND  I 

RESOLVE  TO  SOLVE  THE  PROBLEM INCI- 
DENTS  OF   EARLY   MILITARY   LIFE 

IN    INDIA 


AFTER  having  breakfasted  in  the  beautiful  new 
railway  station  of  Bombay,  one  of  the  most  mag- 
nificent structures  in  India,  we  entrained  for 
Poona,  where  we  encamped  for  about  a  fort- 
night, before  proceeding  to  join  our  regiment. 

Poona  is  a  military  station,  and  troops  on  arri- 
val in  India  are  sometimes  quarantined  there.  We 
eventually  proceeded  on  our  way  to  Secunderabad ; 
leaving  Poona  in  the  evening  we  reached  Shaha- 
bad  at  about  eight  o'clock  the  following  morning, 
at  which  station  we  were  to  breakfast. 

The  terrible  sight  that  I  witnessed  as  our  train 
was  approaching  Shahabad  was  one  that  will  re- 
main with  me  as  long  as  I  live.,  That  scene  which 
extended  about  half  a  mile  outside  of  the  station 
up  to  the  platform  determined  the  course  of  my 
life  during  the  whole  time  I  was  in  India  and  since. 

152 


Memoirs  of  Prince  JoUn  De  Guelph         153 

Had  our  train  run  into  the  valley  of  dry-bones, 
and  had  those  bones  come  together  in  the  form  of 
living  skeletons,  the  sight  could  not  have  been 
more  appalling.  There,  before  us,  were  thousands 
of  living  skeletons,  men  and  women,  victims  of  the 
terrible  famine  which  had  carried  off  more  than 
one  hundred  million  of  their  unfortunate  country- 
men during  the  British  occupation  of  the  Em- 
pire. 

These  miserable  sufferers  as  they  cried  for  food, 
were  beyond  the  reach  of  human  aid;  some  of 
them,  no  doubt,  would  linger  for  months  or  possi- 
bly a  year,  but  their  doom  was  sealed. 

Needless  to  say  that  the  breakfast  of  our  men 
went  further  toward  quieting  the  piteous  clamor 
of  these  unfortunate  people  than  toward  appeas- 
ing their  own  appetite. 

This  sad  experience  led  me  to  resolve  then  and 
there  to  ascertain  the  real  cause  of  famines  in 
India  and  to  devote  my  life  to  overcoming  this  hor- 
rible curse. 

I  was  fully  aware  that  the  Government  was  do- 
ing everything  possible  to  stop  famines,  and  that 
I  had  set  myself  a  stupendous  task  in  trying  to  do 
in  my  subordinate  position,  single-handedly  and 
without  means,  what  the  British  Government  had 
not  only  failed  to  do  with  the  vast  resources  at 
their  command;  but  which  evil  had  actually  in- 
creased in  frequency  and  severity  in  spite  of  all 
the  effort  of  the  Government  to  prevent  it. 

As  the  train  pulled  out  of  Shahabad  and  we  left 
these  miserable  creatures  behind  I  was  heart-sick 
at  the  thought  of  what  the  people  of  that  vast 


154         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

Empire  had  suffered  and  were  suffering,  under 
our  paternal  Government. 

It  grieved  me  to  think  that  as  this  condition  of 
things  had  continued  to  grow  worse  for  the  past 
century,  many  years  must  necessarily  elapse  be- 
fore I  could  hope  to  introduce  or  to  bring  into 
operation  any  effective  measures  to  overcome 
these  terrible  famines. 

I  was  but  a  young  man,  nineteen  years  of  age, 
having  no  knowledge  of  India,  of  the  people,  of 
the  industries  or  commerce,  or  of  the  natural 
resources  of  the  country. 

Knowledge  of  all  these  matters  had  to  be  ac- 
quired under  the  greatest  possible  disadvantages 
and  difficulties.  I  resolved,  however,  that  I  would 
not  leave  India  until  I  had  solved  the  problem. 
In  saving  India  from  famine  in  the  future  I  felt 
that  I  had  a  duty  that  appealed  to  me  as  the 
grandson  of  the  Empress  of  India,  far  more 
than  anything  else  in  the  whole  of  the  British  Em- 
pire could  do.  I  would  rather  be  there  living  in 
the  humble  capacity  of  a  private  soldier  and  en- 
during the  privations  of  a  soldier's  life  to  save 
those  helpless  people  from  famine  than  lie  in 
luxury  and  affluence  with  my  royal  parents  in  a 
palace,  ignorant  of  the  actual  prevailing  condi- 
tions of  our  people. 

Thus  my  secret  sorrow  was  temporarily  ab- 
sorbed in  the  greater  misery  of  the  multitudes  of 
India. 

We  arrived  at  Secunderabad  on  the  evening  of 
the  day  that  we  left  Shahabad,  which  I  think  was 
the  12th  day  of  November,  and  joined  the  head- 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph         155 

quarters  of  the  regiment,  under  the  command  of 
Colonel  Wetherall.  I  was  attached  to  C  Com- 
pany, Captain  F.  F.  Johnstone  in  command.  The 
following  day  we  were  busy  in  getting  out  our 
arms  and  accoutrements  and  Indian  kits  prepara- 
tory to  entering  upon  military  duty  for  the  first 
time  in  India. 

Secunderabad  is  the  chief  military  station  of  the 
Hyderabad  Deccan,  the  largest  and  most  impor- 
tant of  the  feudatory  States  in  India ;  it  is  situated 
about  three  miles  north  by  west  of  the  capital 
city,  Hyderabad. 

The  garrison  was  composed  of  two  British  in- 
fantry regiments,  one  of  British  calvary  and  three 
batteries  of  artillery  in  addition  to  one  regiment 
of  India  calvary  (Bengal  Lancers)  and  one  regi- 
ment of  Indian  infantry,  all  British  troops. 

The  purpose  of  the  British  military  force  in 
the  independent  State  of  Hyderabad  is  to  protect 
the  Nizam  from  his  own  subjects  —  composed 
largely  of  a  rebellious  race. 

Hyderabad  is  a  walled  city  having  a  population 
of  about  four  hundred  and  fifty  thousand. 

Owing  to  the  treacherous  character  of  the  na- 
tives of  Hyderabad  and  their  enmity  to  the  Brit- 
ish, English  soldiers  are  not  allowed  to  enter  the 
city  of  Hyderabad  without  special  leave  from  offi- 
cers commanding  regiments. 

One  of  the  first  stories  that  I  heard  on  joining 
my  regiment  in  reference  to  the  war-like  Moham- 
mendans  of  Hyderabad  was  about  a  rebellion  in 
the  capital  some  time  prior  to  my  advent  in  those 
parts. 


156         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

The  rebels,  it  was  said,  had  taken  possession 
of  the  city  and  Government  officers,  and  had  closed 
and  barricaded  the  gates  of  the  city  against  the 
British  troops. 

Immediately  on  the  receipt  of  information  of 
the  rebellion,  the  British  force  was  rushed  to  the 
capital  and  took  up  position  around  the  city  walls. 

The  guns  being  trained  upon  the  gates  and  at 
various  points  of  the  walls,  word  was  sent  to  the 
rebels  to  surrender  within  a  given  time,  failing 
which  the  capital  would  be  bombarded. 

The  rebels  held  out. 

The  officer  commanding  the  artillery  stood  with 
watch  in  hand;  three  minutes  only  remained  to 
the  time  limit  given;  two  minutes  more,  and  the 
British  guns  would  hurl  their  message  of  destruc- 
tion and  death  into  the  besieged  city;  one  minute 
only  remained ;  thirty  seconds  more ;  ten  seconds ; 
five  seconds  more;  the  officer  standing  ready  to 
close  his  watch  and  to  give  the  order:  "Fire!" 

Suddenly,  as  if  by  magic,  the  gates  of  the  city 
of  Hyderabad  were  thrown  wide  open  within  two- 
seconds  from  the  striking  of  the  hour. 

The  eagerness  with  which  the  troops  were  wait- 
ing for  the  fray,  and  their  indignation  at  having 
been  thus  hoaxed  by  the  wily  Oriental  was  well 
illustrated  by  the  effect  this  sudden  turn  in  affairs 
produced  upon  the  officer  commanding  the  artil- 
lery, who,  upon  seeing  the  gates  of  the  city  fly 
open  on  the  stroke  of  the  clock,  smashed  his  gold 
watch  into  a  thousand  pieces  on  the  gun  by  which 
he  was  standing.  Thus  ended  the  rebellion  of 
Hyderabad. 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph         157 

To  the  young  soldier  on  first  arriving  in  India 
the  stories  of  such  expeditions  are  more  or  less 
exciting  according  to  the  temperament  of  the  new- 
ly arrived. 

The  stories  which  produce  the  greatest  effect 
upon  the  imagination  of  the  inexperienced  recruits 
are,  perhaps,  those  in  which  it  is  shown  that  rebels 
are  in  the  habit  of  frequently  visiting  the  mili- 
tary lines  by  night,  and  that  they  steal  into  the 
bungalows  by  one  or  more  of  the  dozen  doors,  and 
picking  the  locks  of  the  arm-racks,  get  clean  away 
with  all  the  rifles  of  one  or  more  companies  with- 
out even  being  heard. 

"It  sometimes  happened,"  it  was  said,  "that  a 
man  or  two  would  awake  and,  jumping  out  of  bed, 
would  seize  the  thief,  whereupon  the  Indian  would 
leave  his  cloak  or  garment  in  the  hands  of  his  cap- 
turer  and  escape.  Other  men  awakened  by  the 
commotion  would  jump  and  seize  the  thief  or 
thieves  by  their  bare  arms  only  to  have  them  slip 
through  their  fingers  like  so  many  eels,  the  thieves 
being  well  smothered  with  oil. 

A  few  evenings  after  joining  the  regiment,  my 
comrades  and  I  were  entertained  with  the  above 
story.  We  retired,  to  dream  of  savages,  and  as- 
sassins stealing  our  rifles  and  then  cutting  our 
throats. 

About  3.30  A.  M.,  as  I  was  lying  in  bed,  I 
heard  the  stealthy  step  of  bare  feet  upon  the  brick 
floor  of  our  barrack  room.  I  was  lying  on  my 
right  side  and  the  footsteps  approached  nearer  to 
me  from  the  part  of  the  room  behind  me.  What 
good  fortune  was  mine !  Here  was  an  opportunity 


158         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

to  show  some  of  the  old  soldiers  how  to  capture  a 
slippery  savage. 

I  dared  not  look  around  or  make  the  slightest 
move  lest  I  should  give  the  thief  the  opportunity 
to  bolt. 

Lying  perfectly  still  and  feigning  to  be  asleep 
I  waited  somewhat  impatiently,  and,  I  may  con- 
fess, more  or  less  excited  over  the  pending  adven- 
ture. At  length,  after  what  seemed  to  be  an  eter- 
nity the  savage  was  at  the  foot  of  my  cot.  He  had 
taken  two  paces  further  when  he  was  struck  with 
a  sudden  inspiration  that  the  end  of  the  world  had 
come. 

Throwing  aside  my  quilts  I  bounded  out  of  bed 
and  landed  him  behind  the  ear  with  such  force 
that  he  bounded  into  the  air  with  a  yell  that  awoke 
every  man  in  the  various  bungalows  for  a  mile 
around.  The  victim  finally  landed  on  the  top  of 
a  kit  box  at  the  foot  of  a  soldier's  cot  some  twelve 
feet  distant  from  where  I  met  him.  Every  man  in 
the  company  was  on  his  feet  in  a  second  and  rush- 
ing to  the  scene  of  action. 

I  was  the  first,  however,  to  get  at  the  rebel  again. 
Before  he  could  pick  himself  up,  I  was  upon  him, 
and,  knowing  that  any  attempt  to  arrest  him  would 
be  futile,  as  he  would  leave  his  garments  in  my 
hand  and  slip  through  everybody  else's  fingers 
like  a  meteor  through  the  air,  the  only  course  open 
to  me  was  to  follow  up  the  tactics  which  had  an- 
swered so  admirably  thus  far.  Without  risking 
getting  the  palms  of  my  hands  too  oily,  I  closed 
my  fist  and  again  sailed  into  the  intruder,  at  the 
same  time  calling  for  a  rope  to  tie  him  up.  "You 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelpli         159 

can't  tie  a  slippery  eel,"  shouted  a  dozen  voices; 
the  only  thing  to  do  is  to  pummel  him  until  he 
can't  run." 

A  half  dozen  or  more  men  were  upon  him  al- 
most as  soon  as  myself,  and  the  unfortunate  man 
was  getting  the  lesson  of  his  thieving  life. 

The  Sergeant  and  Color-Sergeant,  aroused  by 
the  commotion,  came  up  at  the  " double  quick" 
just  as  the  corporal  punishment  had  ceased.  Be- 
ing satisfied  that  there  was  not  much  danger  of  the 
culprit  escaping,  I  had  pushed  the  men  back  to 
stop  the  onslaught  on  the  unfortunate  fellow,  and 
to  have  him  dealt  with  by  the  proper  authorities. 
On  restoring  order,  the  Color  Sergeant  commenced 
the  investigation.  The  trespasser  was  pulled  to- 
gether, his  clothing  adjusted  and  his  disheveled 
hair  pushed  back  from  his  face  that  we  might  get 
a  view  of  his  swarthy  and  bruised  physiognomy. 
It  was  a  revelation.  I  had  captured  and  nearly 
killed — our  head  cook. 

In  each  company  a  British  soldier  is  detailed 
to  superintend  the  cooks  of  the  company. 

At  the  close  of  each  day's  work  the  cook-house 
is  locked  up,  and  the  soldier  takes  charge  of  the 
key.  He  invariably  hangs  the  key  near  the  head 
of  his  cot,  and  the  master-cook  steps  in  before 
daybreak  to  get  the  key  in  order  to  prepare  the 
early  morning  coffee  served  to  the  men  at  reveille. 

Thereafter  our  master-cook  refrained  from 
passing  through  the  bungalow  while  the  men  were 
asleep. 

The  serious  side  of  army  life  is  seen  on  foreign 
service.  While  the  Empire  of  India  is  under  Brit- 


160        Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelpb 

ish  rule,  the  sixty  thousand  British  troops  sta- 
tioned there  are  held  in  readiness  to  meet  any 
emergency  at  any  hour,  day  and  night.  The 
surprise  of  1857,  when  the  troops  were  at 
church  service  and  their  arms  and  ammunition  in 
the  barracks,  the  terrible  result  of  the  Indian 
mutiny  was  a  lesson  that  the  British  did  not  want 
repeated.  Hence,  even  in  time  of  peace,  and  in 
our  own  dominion  it  was  necessary  to  be  as  much 
on  the  alert  as  though  we  were  in  an  enemy's 
country.  This  condition  of  things  struck  me  as 
being  somewhat  peculiar  and  calling  for  investi- 
gation. If  the  paternal  Government  of  Great  Brit- 
ain was  all  that  it  is  claimed  to  be,  why  should 
there  exist  this  feeling  of  political  unrest  in  India, 
and  of  distrust  on  the  part  of  the  Government. 

What  of  the  famines?  What  was  the  cause  of 
them  and  the  loss  of  millions  of  our  Indian  sub- 
jects from  starvation?  Had  these  famines  in- 
creased in  frequency  and  severity,  as  had  been 
said,  since  the  British  occupation,  and,  if  so, 
wherein  did  our  administration  come  skort?  If 
we  are  responsible  for  the  famines  and  the  conse- 
quent sacrifice  of  a  hundred  million  lives  and  un- 
told poverty,  suffering,  and  distress,  among  the 
three  hundred  million  human  beings  in  India,  eco- 
nomic reform  rather  than  force  of  arms  offered 
the  only  solution  of  the  problem,  if  we  would  con- 
tinue to  rule  over  India.  This  was  a  subject  that 
presented  itself  for  study  and  consideration. 

For  a  young  private  soldier  subject  to  the  re- 
strictions of  military  discipline  and  garrison  or- 
ders, his  limited  freedom  of  action  and  move- 


'Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph         161 

ments  to  the  confines  of  the  garrison  boundary 
was,  in  itself,  a  disadvantage  that  would  deter  the 
boldest  spirit  from  attempting  to  solve  the  politi- 
cal and  economic  problem  which  all  the  authori- 
ties at  the  command  of  the  British  and  Indian 
Government  had  not  only  failed  to  solve  in  a  hun- 
dred years,  but  which  they  were  evidently  getting 
into  a  greater  tangle  from  year  to  year.  In  addi- 
tion to  the  difficulty  of  my  olteervation  being 
confined  to  city  limits  there  was  the  greater  diffi- 
culty of  being  only  a  "common  soldier,"  looked 
down  upon  by  even  the  junior  subaltern  as  being 
something  less  than  human,  and  by  the  "dumb 
millions  of  India"  as  a  "professional  man  killer" 
eagerly  awaiting  orders  to  slay  them  on  the  least 
provocation. 

This  difficulty  will  be  better  understood  by  my 
readers  by  the  following  illustration: 

Corporal  S ,  gymnasium  instructor,  accom- 
panied by  two  privates  of  the  Sixteenth  Bedford- 
shire Eegiment,  one  day  went  out  on  the  innocent 
sport  of  catching  butterflies,  of  which  some  of  the 
most  beautiful  specimens  are  found  in  the  vicinity 
of  Secunderabad.  The  day  was  hot,  and  the 
men,  after  having  wandered  over  the  plains  for 
many  hours,  were  very  thirsty.  They  finally  came 
in  view  of  a  toddy-tope,  a  plantation  of  cocoanut 
trees,  from  the  trunks  of  which  a  palatable  liquid 
flows  on  being  tapped;  earthenware  chatties  are 
tied  to  the  tree  to  catch  the  toddy,  being  changed 
as  often  as  necessary. 

The  men  made  for  the  toddy-tope,  hoping  to  be 
able  to  purchase  some  of  this  tempting  and  re- 


162         'Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

freshing  beverage.  On  reaching  the  tope,  Corpo- 
ral S approached  a  native  and,  offering  a 

rupee  (about  33  cents),  said  they  would  like  to 
purchase  some  toddy. 

The  money  tendered  was  more  than  the  value 
of  a  chatty  of  the  beverage.  The  Indian  refused 
to  sell  to  the  white  men  or  to  touch  the  money. 
He  was  told  that  they  were  parched  for  a  drink 
and  must  have  it.  Again  the  Indian  refused  to 
serve  them;  whereupon  Colonel  S—  -  tossed  the 
rupee  on  the  ground  near  the  man,  saying,  "I  will 
save  you  the  trouble  to  climb  the  tree,  I  will  do  it 
myself,"  and  proceeded  to  run  up  the  eighty-foot 
trunk  of  the  cocoanut  tree  with  the  agility  of  a 
native. 

Waiting  until  Corporal  S had  reached  the 

top  of  the  tree,  the  Indian  raised  a  yell,  which  was 
immediately  responded  to  by  hundreds  of  armed 
men  jumping  up  from  holes  in  the  ground  in  all 
directions  in  the  toddy-tope. 

Corporal  S ,  perceiving  his  predicament,  and 

the  danger  of  his  companions,  who  were  unarmed, 
shouted  to  them  to  run  for  their  lives.  They  pro- 
tested, but  he  commanded,  saying  it  was  their 
duty  to  get  away.  Being  at  the  entrance  of  the 
toddy-tope  the  way  was  clear  for  their  retreat,  and 
they  made  their  escape. 

By  the  time  Corporal  S had  descended  from 

the  tree,  it  was  surrounded  by  hundreds  of  blood- 
thirsty natives,  yelling  and  brandishing  their  cut- 
lasses. 

Corporal  S 's  butterfly  net  with  a  bamboo 

handle,  one  inch  thick,  was  standing  against  the 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelpli         163 

tree ;  seizing  the  innocent  toy,  Corporal  S—  -  con- 
verted it  into  a  weapon. 

Being  the  instructor  in  swordsmanship  gave  him 
some  advantage  over  his  dusky  foes.  Singling  out 
the  leader  of  this  horde,  who  had  a  very  formid- 
able cutlass,  he  gave  that  gentleman  a  rap  on  the 
knuckles  of  his  sword-hand  which  caused  him  to 
throw  up  his  hands  and  yell  "blue  murder."  His 
cutlass  fell  in  reach  of  and  was  promptly  taken  up 

by  Corporal  S .  That  gentleman  then  set  about 

cutting  a  way  for  himself  through  the  dense  crowd 
of  enraged  natives,  which  he  succeeded  in  doing, 
but  had  to  fight  every  inch  of  his  way  toward  the 
barracks  for  a  mile  and  a  half  against  overwhelm- 
ing odds. 

Having  been  already  parched  with  thirst  before 
this  encounter,  Corporal  S—  -  certainly  had  the 
time  of  his  life  in  conquering  that  crowd  without 
receiving  a  scratch  himself. 

When  within  about  a  mile  and  a  half  of  the  mili- 
tary garrison  the  natives  fell  back,  a  part  of  them 
taking  charge  of  the  weapons  of  the  whole.  A 
large  body  of  the  natives  proceeded  to  the  barracks 
to  lodge  a  complaint  with  the  officer  commanding, 
against  the  British  soldier  for  having  "murdered 
and  wounded  a  number  of  their  tribesmen." 

The  Bedfordshire's  regimental  call  and  assem- 
bly was  sounded,  upon  which  every  man  in  the 
regiment  fell  in  with  their  respective  companies. 
Corporal  S ,  who  had  had  time  to  refresh  him- 
self and  to  change  his  clothes,  was  in  his  company. 

The  regiment  being  formed  into  lines  the  natives 
were  instructed  to  identify  the  man. 


164         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

Corporal  S was  identified  and  placed  under 

arrest,  was  court-martialed  and  sentenced  to  be 
reduced  to  the  ranks  and  to  serve  a  term  of  three 
years  in  prison  with  hard  labor,  as  a  deterrent  to 
British  soldiers  to  protect  their  lives  against  the 
murderous  assaults  of  barbarous  hordes  of  sav- 
ages; but  more  particularly  to  appease  the  na- 
tives, who  would  have  avenged  themselves  on  every 
unfortunate  British  soldier  who  might  come  within 
their  reach  had  not  this  man  been  convicted. 

The  General  commanding  the  division,  in  re- 
viewing the  court-martial  proceedings,  took  into 
consideration  the  plea  of  self-defense  and  set  aside 
the  finding  and  sentence  of  the  court-martial. 

Corporal  S was  transferred  from  head- 
quarters. 


CHAPTER  XVII 

MILITABY  LIFE  IN  SECUNDERABAD 1  ATTEND  MILITARY 

SCHOOL — I  BEGIN   THE  STUDY  OF  ORIENTAL  LAN- 
GUAGES— SORROW      AND    SOLITUDE ORDERED 

TO   CANNONORE,  M^ALABAR  COAST INCI- 
DENTS OF  MARCH — ELEPHANT  RUNS 
AMUCK  IN  CAMP! — DIAMOND 
FIELDS  AND  RUBY  MINES 
OF  INDIA  AND  BURMA 

MILITARY  life  was  very  quiet  in  Secunderatad 
garrison,  the  usual  morning  parade,  an  occasional 
field  day  and  the  general  routine  of  garrison  and 
regimental  guards,  pickets  and  other  duties  occu- 
pied but  a  small  portion  of  a  soldier's  time.  The 
morning  parade  was  held  before  breakfast.  The 
military  school  for  such  non-commissioned  officers 
and  men  who  were  required  to  attend  to  qualify 
for  their  examinations  was  in  session  from  11 
A.  M.  to  12.30  daily,  with  the  exception  of  Satur- 
days and  Sundays.  The  children  of  the  married 
non-commissioned  officers  and  men  attended  school 
from  8.45  to  11  A.  M.,  and  from  2  to  3.30  P.  M. 

The  school  staff  was  composed  of  the  regimental 
schoolmaster  and  non-commissioned  officers  duly 
qualified.  The  ordinary  parade  and  school  hours 

165 


166         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

take  only  about  two  hours  and  a  half  to  three  hours 
per  day,  after  which  time  the  men  were  free. 

I  devoted  my  spare  time  to  study  of  ordinary 
subjects,  referred  to  elsewhere,  and  also  studied 
Hindoostani  under  the  Moonshee  (Hindu  teacher 
of  languages). 

My  mind  was,  however,  constantly  preoccupied 
with  thoughts  of  my  mother  and  her  cruel  fate. 
Try  as  I  would  I  could  not  overcome  my  terrible 
grief  for  her. 

My  sorrow  of  heart  further  caused  me  to  seek 
solitude ;  I  accordingly  took  my  books  and  Testa- 
ment every  day  and  went  out  among  the  rocks 
on  the  burning  plain,  where  I  could  be  alone  with 
my  thoughts  and  with  God. 

Seeking  the  shelter  of  some  huge  rock  with 
which  the  parched  ground  was  covered  for  miles 
around,  I  spent  much  time  in  study  and  meditation 
on  my  peculiar  situation  and  forming  plans  for  the 
carrying  out  of  my  project  to  ameliorate  the  condi- 
tion of  the  people.  The  only  interruption  to  my 
meditation  was  caused  by  the  huge  rock  snakes, 
measuring  from  twelve  to  thirty  feet  in  length, 
and  snakes  of  every  description  which  infested  the 
locality. 

Strange  as  it  may  seem,  I  had  no  fear  of  these 
reptiles;  and  my  presence  among  them  did  not 
seem  to  arouse  more  than  passing  curiosity  on 
their  part. 

Every  evening  when  off  duty  I  attended  the  re- 
ligious meetings  conducted  for  the  soldiers  of  the 
garrison,  or  at  some  of  the  missions  or  churches 
of  Secunderabad.  The  religious  meetings  in  the 


Memoirs  of  Prince' John  De  Guelph         167 

garrison  were  held  in  the  meeting-house  set  apart 
for  the  purpose,  built  on  the  top  of  a  hill  and  called 
Mount  Zion. 

The  meetings  were  conducted  principally  by 
some  of  the  Christian  men  of  the  various  regi- 
ments, and  occasionally  by  the  chaplain,  and  by 
the  different  missionaries  of  the  station. 

About  a  fortnight  after  my  arrival  in  Secunder- 
abad  I  began  to  take  my  turn  in  leading  the 
meetings. 

The  English  Wesleyan  Mission,  then  in  charge 
of  the  Eev.  Mr.  Gladwin,  offered  an  opportunity 
for  good  work  among  the  European  and  Eurasian 
community.  I  therefore  became  a  frequent  at- 
tendant at  the  Wesleyan  Mission  House,  and  was 
thus  afforded  many  and  good  opportunities  to 
study  the  different  classes  of  people,  from  the 
European  officials  down  to  the  native  masses,  and 
to  observe  the  customs  and  manners  of  the  people 
and  the  conditions  under  which  they  lived. 

I  made  many  acquaintances  and  took  the  oppor- 
tunity to  familiarize  myself  with  the  various 
views  held  by  different  classes  as  to  the  cause  and 
effects  of  the  famines;  and  also  the  attitude  of 
the  Indian  population  toward  British  rule,  and 
toward  possible  Russian  invasion  of  India,  which 
was  threatened  at  that  time. 

I  think  it  was  in  the  month  of  April,  1880,  that 
my  regiment  was  ordered  to  Cannonore,  on  the 
Malabar  coast.  The  next  week  or  ten  days  was 
busily  occupied  in  packing  the  military  stores  and 
baggage.  At  length  the  day  arrived  for  us  to  leave 
Secunderabad.  Our  march  commenced,  and,  curi- 


168         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

ously  enough,  the  route  from  Secunderabad,  which, 
as  previously  stated,  is  about  three  miles  north  by 
west  of  Hyderabad,  instead  of  being  southwest  to 
reach  the  west  coast  was  taken  eastward  to  the 
east  coast,  for  the  benefit  of  exercise  of  the  troops 
and  strategic  purposes.  From  Bajahmundary  on 
the  Godavervi  River  our  course  was  continued 
south  to  Pondicherry,  a  French  settlement;  from 
Pondicherry  to  Cuddalore ;  thence  due  west  across 
the  Peninsula  to  Cannonore,  on  the  west  coast, 
about  three  miles  from  Calicut. 

Eeveille  sounded  sometimes  at  twelve  midnight, 
sometimes  12.30  or  1  A.  M.,  according  to  the  length 
of  march ;  coffee  was  served,  after  which  we  struck 
camp,  loaded  the  baggage  on  the  elephants  and 
our  march  commenced  within  forty-five  minutes 
from  reveille. 

The  commissariat  department  and  advance 
guard  preceded  the  main  body  by  about  half  an 
hour.  After  a  march  of  about  ten  miles  the  regi- 
ment halted  to  partake  of  coffee  again.  We  had 
half  an  hour's  rest,  and  then  marched  to  the  next 
encampment,  which  we  reached  by  about  9  A.  M., 
pitched  camp,  and  rested  for  the  day. 

The  camp  was  generally  pitched  between  two 
towns.  As  a  rule  I  spent  the  greater  part  of  the 
day  in  exploring  the  surrounding  country,  return- 
ing about  sundown  to  take  a  few  hours'  rest  be- 
fore the  next  march.  In  this  way  I  covered  each 
day  about  three  or  four  times  the  distance  of  the 
actual  march. 

These  excursions  gave  me  some  opportunity  of 
visiting  towns  and  villages,  historic  battlefields 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph         169 

and  many  places  of  interest.  The  whole  march 
was  covered  without  incident  worth  mentioning, 
with  one  exception,  and  that  was  a  little  excite- 
ment created  by  the  caper  of  a  "must"  elephant. 

One  afternoon  I  was  returning  to  camp  with  a 
few  comrades,  and,  when  passing  through  the  ele- 
phant lines,  the  elephant  in  question  raised  his 
trunk  and  tore  off  a  bough  of  a  tree.  We  assumed 
that  he  had  done  this  to  enable  him  to  feed  on  the 
smaller  branches;  but  as  we  approached  within 
reach  of  the  gentle  beast,  he  made  a  vicious  at- 
tack upon  us  with  the  said  bough.  He  swung  it 
around  with  great  force;  I  was  on  the  inner  side 
of  the  party  or  nearest  to  the  elephant.  The 
thick  end  of  the  bough  struck  my  helmet  and 
knocked  it  off.  Some  of  my  comrades  became  ex- 
cited and  got  out  of  reach  of  harm.  Upon  picking 
up  my  helmet,  which-  was  somewhat  damaged  by 
the  onslaught,  I  could  not  help  expressing  my  self- 
congratulation  that  my  headgear  was  not  a  low- 
crowned  affair,  as  in  that  case,  the  blow  would 
have  taken  off  the  top  of  my  head. 

The  reveille  sounded  at  twelve  o  'clock  that  night, 
camp  was  struck,  and  this  particular  elephant  was 
detailed  to  carry  my  own  tent.  I  assisted  in  the 
loading,  and  was  standing  by  the  head  of  the  ele- 
phant, which  was  lying  down,  when  the  keeper  of 
the  elephant  came  near  me.  Like  a  flash  of  light- 
ning he  disappeared  from  my  side.  The  elephant, 
reaching  round  with  his  trunk,  seized  the  man  by 
the  waist,  and,  with  a  terrific  trumpeting,  raised 
the  unfortunate  keeper  in  the  air  and  bounded  off 
at  top  speed  through  the  camp.  When  outside  of 


170         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

the  camp  the  elephant  stopped  and  brought  his 
victim  down  with  such  force  on  the  sandy  soil  that 
the  impact  resounded  for  a  mile  around  with  a 
sickening  thud. 

The  wild  run  of  the  elephant  caused  a  stampede 
among  the  troops  and  animals.  I  stood  and 
watched  the  beast  in  its  mad  career  and  saw  in 
the  moonlight  the  spectacle  of  the  man  raised  in 
the  air  during  the  flight,  and  then  brought  down 
to  the  earth.  Upon  the  instant  that  he  struck  the 
earth  the  elephant  bent  his  knee  upon  the  chest  of 
his  victim  and  crushed  the  life  out  of  him;  this 
done  he  again  bounded  off,  trumpeting  and  mak- 
ing every  effort  to  bring  down  his  driver.  Fail- 
ing in  this,  he  tore  off  into  the  jungle  with  the  de- 
liberate intention  of  knocking  the  driver  off  under 
the  trees.  Order  was  restored  in  camp  and  the 
march  commenced  to  the  next  camp,  leaving  the 
elephant  and  its  driver  behind.  All  through  the 
night  the  driver  stuck  to  his  post.  On  reaching 
camp  two  elephants  were  detailed  to  return  to 
bring  in  the  defaulter.  They  escorted  the  culprit 
into  camp.  He  was  tried  by  drumhead  court-mar- 
tial and  was  sentenced  to  be  flogged  and  dis- 
charged with  ignominy  from  the  service. 

The  elephant  prisoner  was  escorted  in,  with  a 
very  crestfallen  demeanor,  well  knowing  what  was 
in  store  for  him. 

This  elephant  had  killed  at  least  half  a  dozen 
men  and  the  British  Government  did  well  in  get- 
ting rid  of  him. 

The  novelty  of  a  twenty-mile  march  before 
breakfast  may  be  very  interesting  once  in  a  while, 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelpli         171 

but  when  it  is  repeated  day  by  day  on  the  dusty 
roads  and  in  the  sultry  atmosphere  of  Southern 
India,  it  becomes  more  or  less  monotonous.  Much 
of  the  route  was  overshadowed  by  shade  trees,  al- 
together unnecessary  to  us,  as  we  marched  by 
night,  and  the  only  effect  the  trees  produced  was 
to  break  the  moonlight  and  to  cast  ghostly 
shadows  upon  the  road,  and,  at  the  same  time, 
served  as  a  mantle  by  which  the  cloud  of  dust  set 
up  by  the  feet  of  a  thousand  men  and  several  hun- 
dred bullock  carts,  elephants,  etc.,  was  deflected 
upon  our  unfortunate  heads. 

The  men  of  the  Bedfordshires  were  as  game  as 
any  in  the  British  Army,  but,  naturally,  each 
march  saw  a  few  of  our  men  falling  out  from  ex- 
haustion. I  was  amused  on  different  occasions  to 
find  some  of  my  comrades,  who  had  too  much  grit 
to  report  sick,  actually  marching  along  the  road 
fast  asleep;  my  right-hand  man  on  one  occasion 
pitched  head-over-heels  down  an  embankment 
while  marching  asleep. 

While  the  actual  marches  did  not  exceed  twenty- 
five  miles  a  day  and  sometimes  not  more  than 
twelve,  I  covered  on  an  average  of  between  twenty 
and  thirty  miles  per  day  between  the  time  of  arriv- 
ing in  camp  at  eight  A.  M.  and  "tattoo"  at  eight 
to  nine  P.  M. 

Notwithstanding  the  facilities  for  travel  in  this 
twentieth  century  by  airships,  subterranean  tubes 
and  ocean  surface  motor-boats,  and  such  means  of 
communication  as  wireless  telegraphy,  as  com- 
pared with  the  antiquated  system  of  travel  and 
communication  of  fifty  years  ago,  the  great  ma- 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

jority  of  our  intelligent  and  European  population 
still  look  upon  India  as  being  a  benighted  and 
heathen  country,  having  only  two  seasons  in  the 
year — nine  months  hot  and  three  months  hotter, 
and,  being  populated  entirely  by  blacks.  Such 
was  my  opinion  of  India  at  the  time  of  my  arrival 
in  that  country.  This  march  and  my  personal  ob- 
servations convinced  me  of  the  general  miscon- 
ception. On  passing  through  Pondicherry,  I  gave 
way  to  the  hereditary  characteristics  of  my  race. 
Heretofore  we  had  been  marching  through  a  coun- 
try populated  by  people  of  various  shades  from  a 
pea-nut  brown  to  the  Ethiopian  ebony,  but  here 
in  Pondicherry  we  had  a  type  of  beauties  that 
could  not  be  excelled  in  ancient  Borne. 

This  striking  contrast  brought  me  to  a  realiza- 
tion that  vastness  and  diversity  are  the  most  im- 
portant features  of  the  Indian  Empire. 

This  diversity  of  race  led  me,  as  a  youngster, 
to  closer  investigation  of  India,  the  area  and  pop- 
ulation under  British  rule.  The  area  of  India,  or 
that  part  of  it  known  as  British  India,  is  1,500,000 
square  miles ;  the  peninsula  is  two  thousand  miles 
long,  and  the  greatest  breadth  is  also  two  thou- 
sand miles.  The  population  was  at  that  time  287,- 
223,431.  This  does  not,  of  course,  include  the  150,- 
000,000  who  have  been  sacrificed  to  famine  and 
pestilence  since  the  British  occupation. 

There  are  one  hundred  and  fifty-seven  states 
and  no  less  than  forty-two  nationalities  or  tribes 
speaking  as  many  different  languages. 

The  climate  of  India  is  as  diversified  as  its  peo- 
ple, rangfingf  from  128  degrees  in  the  shade  on  the 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph         173 

plains,  to  perpetual  snow  on  the  Himalaya  Moun- 
tains. 

The  soil  varies  also  as  much  as  the  climate  and 
the  people.  In  the  Middle  West  and  Western 
States  of  the  United  States  of  America  they 
justly  boast  of  the  fertility  of  the  soil  and  the 
vast  grain  fields,  but,  notwithstanding  the  richness 
of  the  American  soil  and  its  abundant  crops,  the 
fertility  of  much  of  the  soil  of  India  equals  the 
most  fertile  on  the  American  Continent.  Again, 
vast  deserts  are  to  be  found,  where  there  is  no 
vegetation  either  for  man  or  beast. 

The  Indian  diamond  fields,  which  have  produced 
the  most  famous  diamonds  of  the  world,  will  again 
be  re-opened,  when  we  secure  proper  administra- 
tion for  India.  The  famous  Burma  ruby  mines 
are  not  yet  exhausted,  notwithstanding  all  reports 
to  the  contrary.  Incidentally  it  may  be  mentioned 
the  Burma  rubies  and  those  of  the  island  of 
Ceylon  are  practically  identical,  while  the 
rubies  of  Siam,  found  over  an  imaginary 
or  defined  political  boundary  line  from  Burma,  are 
classified  as  being  the  most  inferior  in  the  world. 
From  the  time  that  Burma  annexed  a  certain  por- 
tion of  Siamese  territory,  the  rubies  found  in  that 
territory  have,  of  course,  been  advanced  to  the 
quality  of  Burma  rubies. 

A  personal  friend,  Moung  Gyi,  of  Maulmein, 
Burma,  spent  a  great  many  years  in  prospecting 
for  rubies  in  Siam  under  license  of  the  King  of 
Siam.  Specimen  stones  forwarded  to  me  by 
Moung  Gyi  have  been  declared  by  the  best  Euro- 


174         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

pean  and  American  experts  to  be  the  genuine 
Burma  ruby. 

As  a  matter  of  fact  the  pigeon-blood  corundum, 
no  matter  whether  from  Burma,  Ceylon,  Siam,  or 
Montana,  is  commercially  a  "  Burma  Kuby." 

The  march  due  west  across  the  peninsula  to  Con- 
nonore  occupied  about  a  week  and  we  were  very 
pleased  to  be  at  the  end  of  our  long  march. 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

MILITAEY  DUTIES INFLUENCE  OF  MISSIONS  ON  SOCIAL 

LIFE  OF  MILITARY  CAMPS — ORIENTAL  PHILOSOPHY 


MILITARY  duties  now  again  occupied  our  minds 
in  the  usual  way.  We  much  enjoyed  the  sea-bath- 
ing, which  was  more  or  less  enlivened  by  the  preva- 
lence of  man-eating  sharks  off  that  coast. 

In  Cannonore  we  had  a  branch  of  the  Basil  Mis- 
sion, of  which  Dr.  Weisman  was  the  most  active 
leader.  Brother  Weisman  was  a  great  musician, 
and  formed  a  choral  which  met  at  his  residence 
twice  a  week ;  in  this  choral  I  figured  with  Corpo- 
ral Flowers  in  the  role  of  first  tenor.  Dr.  Weis- 
man 's  friendship  with  the  "common"  soldiers 
roused  the  ire  of  some  of  the  officers,  who  asked 
him  why  he  preferred  the  company  of  "common 
soldiers"  to  that  of  the  officers. 

To  this  query  the  Doctor  replied,  "I  associatte 
with  t  common  soldiers, '  as  you  term  them,  for  the 
reason  that  I  prefer  rather  to  be  in  the  company 
of  gentlemen  than  with  blackguards." 

My  associations  with  Dr.  Weisman  were  of  a 
very  pleasant  nature  and  afforded  me  many  op- 
portunities to  study  the  work  of  that  mission. 

When  the  Basil  Mission  was  first  established  in 

175 


176         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

India,  the  Missionary  Board  in  Germany  decided 
that  missionaries  sent  to  India  should  adopt  the 
customs  and  manners  of  the  people  of  their  respec- 
tive territories — in  short,  to  live  as  natives  of  the 
provinces,  adopting  their  costumes  and  domestic 
life.  The  missionaries  married  Indian  women, 
Tamil,  Telegu,  Maphla,  and  even  the  despised 
Sudra;  as  a  matter  of  fact,  as  very  few  converts 
were  made  among  the  Brahmin  and  other  high- 
caste  Hindoos,  the  majority  of  missionaries'  wives 
were  from  the  low  castes  and  the  pariah  or  out- 
cast. After  some  years'  experience  this  custom 
was  discontinued,  and  the  missionaries  were  al- 
lowed to  live  according  to  European  customs,  and 
to  marry  women  of  their  own  country. 

These  marriages  were,  as  a  rule,  a  matter  of 
greater  speculation  to  the  missionary  than  were 
the  marriages  contracted  with  the  women  of  India. 

In  the  latter  case  he  had  ample  opportunity  to 
study  the  character  of  the  dusky  damsel  of  his 
choice,  and  there  were  thousands  of  them  for  him 
to  select  from;  whereas  brides  from  Germany 
were,  in  many  cases,  arranged  for  by  proxy,  and 
the  missionary  had  no  opportunity  to  see  his 
future  bride  until  she  landed  at  his  station  in 
India,  when  the  marriage  ceremony  was  immedi- 
ately arranged. 

The  wife  of  my  friend,  Dr.  Weisman,  was  sent 
out  to  him  in  this  manner ;  he  knew  nothing  of  her 
previous  to  her  arrival  in  India  for  the  marriage 
ceremony.  It  is  remarkable  that  such  marriages 
invariably  prove  to  be  happy  unions. 

He  explained  to  me  that  he  was  very  well  satis- 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph         177 

fied  with  the  choice  made  for  him,  both  as  to  quan- 
tity and  quality,  for  his  wife  was  a  large  woman, 
while  he  was  small  of  stature. 

In  Cannonore  our  missionary  meetings  were 
held  every  night  in  the  week,  the  Eev.  Mr.  Stock- 
ing, a  descendant  of  the  old-time  Missionary  In- 
dian Marriage  System,  who  had  charge  of  the  local 
mission  under  the  direction  of  other  missionaries. 
These  meetings  were  attended  by  both  military 
and  civil  European,  Eurasian  and  Indian  Chris- 
tians, and  gave  me  an  opportunity  to  make  many 
pleasant  acquaintances,  which  enabled  me  to  come 
in  close  touch  with  the  various  classes  and  to  study 
the  domestic  and  economic  conditions  of  the  coun- 
try. 

At  Calicut,  a  few  miles  from  Cannonore,  the 
Basil  Mission  had  an  extensive  weaving  estab- 
lishment, an  institution  which  was  very  beneficial 

to  the  Indian  converts. 

******* 

The  practice  of  the  Indian  Yogi  in  the  applica- 
tion of  so-called  charms,  ceremonials  and  incan- 
tations of  magic  and  mystery  for  the  treatment  of 
disease  has  ever  been  universally  condemned  by 
the  regular  physicians  of  Europe  and  America. 

The  following  extract  taken  from  the  medical 
encyclopedia  by  one  of  the  most  progressive  and 
successful  physicians  of  America,  the  late  E.  T. 
Trail,  M.  D.,  is  a  fair  expression  of  the  sentiments 
of  the  Occidental  medical  profession  on  this  sub- 
ject. 

In  the  part  treating  on  " Medical  History,"  we 
find  the  following :  ' '  The  diligent  student  of  medi- 


178         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

cal  history  cannot  fail  to  discover  that  the  ancient 
and  more  ignorant  practitioners  were  more  suc- 
cessful in  curing  diseases  than  are  the  modern  and 
wiser  physicians. ' ' 

The  reader  will  observe  that  the  poor  "ignor- 
ant" and  "superstitious"  physician  of  a  less  civil- 
ized age  had  much  more  to  be  thankful  for  than  his 
"modern  and  wiser"  medical  brethren,  viz., 
greater  success  as  a  scientist  with  his  so-called 
' l  ignorance, ' '  than  the  modern  physician  with  his 
so-called  wisdom.  This  fact  evidently  did  not  es- 
cape Dr.  Trail,  as  shown  by  the  following  qualifi- 
cation, which  is  equally  absurd. 

'  *  The  remedial  agents,  of  the  ancients  were  com- 
paratively inert  and  comparatively  harmless,  and, 
while  they  inspired  their  patients  with  a  due 
degree  of  confidence  and  hope  by  the  charms  and 
ceremonials  of  magic  and  mystery,  they  really 
relied  on  judicious  hygienic  regulations  to  aid  and 
assist  nature  in  effecting  the  cure. 

"Modern  intelligence  repudiates  the  arts  and  in- 
cantations of  a  less  civilized  age;  and  in  their 
stead  has  substituted  the  stronger  potencies  of 
modern  invention,  while  the  habits  of  living  and 
thinking  with  medical,  as  well  as  with  other  men, 
have  become  so  unnatural  and  artificial  that,  in 
managing  diseases,  hygienic  agencies  are  almost 
wholly  overlooked." 

It  is  customary  to  offer  prayers  for  the  sick 
throughout  the  Christian  world.  That  is  quite 
right.  But,  if  the  Oriental  prays  or  intones  thus : 
"Please  have  mercy,  O  God!  Please  have  mercy, 
0  God!  Please  have  mercy,  O  God;"  or,  again, 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph         179 

"Please  give  strength,  0  God!  Please  give 
strength,  0  God!  Please  give  strength,  0  God!" 
they  are  uttering  "incantations  or  ceremonials  of 
magic  and  mystery. ' ' 

In  the  year  1903  a  number  of  medical  societies 
in  the  United  States  of  America  adopted  a  reso- 
lution requesting  the  establishment  of  a  psycho- 
physical  laboratory  in  the  Department  of  the  In- 
terior, at  Washington,  D.  C.,  for  the  practical  ap- 
plication of  physiologcal-psychology  to  abnormal 
or  pathological  data,  such  as  is  found  in  public  in- 
stitutions for  the  criminal  insane,  and  as  observed 
in  hospitals  and  schools,  and  in  the  defective 
classes  generally." 

Practically  all  universities  in  the  civilized 
world  now  have  chairs  of  psychology.  But,  the 
masters  of  psychology,  physiological-psychology, 
and  transcendental-psychology  in  India,  where  the 
science  was  cradled  and  brought  to  a  perfection 
as  far  transcending  the  superficial  knowledge  of 
the  Occidental  "Professor"  as  the  light  of  the  sun 
transcends  that  of  the  twinkling  star,  are  still  per- 
forming their  "incantations  and  ceremonials  of 
magic  and  mystery. ' ' 

As  previously  stated,  one  of  the  objects  of  my 
being  in  India  was  to  seek  enlightenment  as  to  the 
nature  and  value  of  the  "arts,  charms,  incanta- 
tions, and  ceremonials  of  magic  and  mystery. ' ' 

About  the  month  of  August,  1880, 1  had  my  first 
opportunity  to  apply  the  "ceremonials,"  or,  if  I 
may  be  permitted  the  scientific  term  "physiologi- 
cal-psychology, ' '  to  abnormal  pathological  data. 

My  first  case  was  that  of  Private  Ely  Story,  age 


180         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

twenty-four,  Company  C,  Second  Battalion,  Bed- 
fordshires,  at  Cannonore. 

Private  Story  was  not  only  a  temperate  but  a 
religious  man,  of  a  very  quiet  demeanor  and  ami- 
able disposition.  It  had  been  noticed  that  Story 
had  been  quieter  than  usual  for  some  weeks  pre- 
vious to  the  incident  I  am  about  to  relate. 

One  morning  before  reveille  the  whole  regiment 
was  aroused  by  a  maniacal  yell  that  made  every 
man  shudder.  The  next  instant  a  couple  of  hun- 
dred men  jumped  from  their  beds  and  darted  off 
in  hot  pursuit  of  Private  Story,  whose  mind  had 
been  affected  by  the  sun. 

Two  or  three  hundred  flying  shirt-tails,  vainly 
trying  to  overtake  their  owners  in  their  headlong 
rush  across  the  barrack  square,  was  an  exhibition 
that  I  had  not  seen  equalled  on  any  stage  in 
Europe  or  America ;  even  Coney  Island,  New  York, 
can  not  boast  of  such  a  spectacle. 

The  flying  legs  represented  the  long  and  short, 
the  thick  and  thin  of  Her  Majesty's  Second 
"Beds,"  and  as  I  witnessed  it  I  could  not  help  but 
wish  that  Her  Majesty  had  been  present  to  review 
this  impromptu  shirt-tail  parade. 

The  unfortunate  patient  reached  the  bath- 
houses well  in  the  lead  of  the  foremost  of  his  pur- 
suers, where  he  most  effectually  barricaded  him- 
self against  capture. 

I  was  sleeping  in  the  same  room  as  the  patient, 
but  waited  to  partially  dress  myself  before  going 
out.  I  then  went  over  to  the  bath-houses,  where, 
by  the  time  I  arrived,  about  one-half  of  the  regi- 
ment, attired  and  unattired,  were  endeavoring  to 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph        181 

gain  admission  by  the  doors  and  windows.  One 
would  have  supposed  that  the  whole  noisy  mob 
had  just  been  let  loose  from  "Bedlam." 

The  pounding  on  doors  and  windows,  and  the 
shouting  was  sufficient  to  drive  even  a  sane  man 
crazy. 

As  practically  all  the  senior  non-commissioned 
officers  of  the  company  were  present,  I,  being 
merely  a  recruit,  had  no  right  to  assume  com- 
mand. However,  I  called  for  silence  and  ordered 
the  men  from  the  doors  and  windows. 

I  suggested  that  some  of  them  would  look  better 
if  they  would  return  to  their  rooms  and  put  on 
Her  Majesty's  uniform;  then,  turning  to  the  color 
sergeant,  I  said,  "Make  the  men  retire  and  I  will 
attend  to  Story." 

Order  having  been  restored,  I  called,  very 
quietly,  "Ely!"  A  few  seconds  later  Ely's  face 
appeared  at  the  window  at  which  I  was  gazing. 
Without  noticing  the  crowd  of  men,  Story 
looked  directly  at  me.  I  simply  said  in  a  quiet 
tone,  "Come!"  He  immediately  climbed  down 
from  the  window  and  opened  the  door.  I  received 
him  at  the  door,  placing  my  arm  in  a  brotherly 
way  about  his  shoulders.  I  thus  escorted  him 
through  the  astonished  crowd,  which  he  did  not 
appear  to  notice  in  any  way ;  nor  did  he  speak.  On 
reaching  the  barrack-room,  I  dressed  him  and  took 
him  to  the  military  hospital  by  order  of  the  Color 
Sergeant. 

He  was  admitted  to  the  hospital  and  duly  regis- 
tered as  a  mental  case.  Two  men  were  detailed 
to  be  with  him  constantly  in  a  private  ward.  For 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

a  number  of  days  I  was  the  only  person  whose 
presence  the  patient  seemed  to  recognize. 

He  would  do  anything  I  asked  him  to  do,  but 
only  spoke  incoherently. 

My  power  was  recognized,  and  I  was  accord- 
ingly allowed  to  attend  to  him  at  any  time,  day  or 
night.  I  made  frequent  visits  and  devoted  con- 
siderable time  to  my  comrade.  In  about  a  week 
Story  was  once  more  in  his  normal  mental  and 
physical  condition.  In  another  week  he  was  dis- 
charged from  the  hospital,  cured.  Story  continu- 
ed thereafter  in  perfect  health  during  the  remain- 
ing years  of  his  service. 

Eef  erence  to  the  regimental  and  hospital  records 
will  substantiate  the  above  account.  My  connec- 
tion with  the  case  was  widely  discussed  in  the  regi- 
ment, and  that  and  other  incidents  unfortunately 
caused  me  to  be  "dubbed"  in  the  regiment  with 
the  sobriquet  of  "Jesus  Christ,"  and  later,  by  the 
Indians,  "The  White  Yogi,"  and  the  "Great 
Eoyal  Physician." 


CHAPTER  XIX 

AT  MALLIAPUBAM 1  VISIT  THE  WARLIKE  MAPHLAS — 

IN  MAPHLA  TOWN — THE  SACRED  TEMPLE  OF  TAL- 

LIPAEAMBA — A  PERSONAL  ENCOUNTER  WITH 

TIGER — IN    BED    WITH    A    COBRA 

AFTER  about  six  months  in  Cannonore  I  was  or- 
dered with  my  company,  to  Malliapuram,  a  detach- 
ment furnished  from  the  garrison  of  Cannonore. 

The  inhabitants  of  this  district  were  principally 
the  Maphla  tribe,  which  has  probably  given  the 
British  Government  more  trouble  than  any  other 
race  in  India.  A  short  time  before  my  company 
was  sent  there  a  rebellion  took  place  and  the  bar- 
racks of  the  British  troops  were  destroyed  by  fire 
by  the  Maphlas. 

The  only  buildings  left  standing  were  the  mar- 
ried quarters,  which  were  later  occupied  by  the 
troops.  Many  British  soldiers,  it  was  said,  had 
lost  their  lives  or  had  mysteriously  disappeared 
by  venturing  into  Maphla  town. 

The  district  at  fhe  time  I  arrived  was  "out  of 
bounds.7*  In  other  words,  there  was  a  regimental 
order  prohibiting  soldiers  from  entering  Maphla 
town. 

The  military  order  in  question  did  not  prevent 
my  venturing  into  this  district,  from  which  it  was 

183 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

said  no  individual  soldier  ever  returned.  One 
morning  about  nine  o'clock,  I  entered  Maphla 
town.  The  principal  thoroughfare  is  a  narrow 
street,  a  little  more  than  a  mile  in  length.  I  had 
proceeded  only  about  twenty  yards  when  a  Maphla 
called  to  me  from  an  upper  window,  and  speaking 
in  English  ordered  me  to  go  back;  at  the  same 
time  asking  me  if  I  did  not  know  that  I  was  in 
Maphla  town,  and  that  no  white  man  ever  suc- 
ceeded in  passing  to  the  end  of  the  street,  or  in  re- 
turning. 

I  replied  to  him  in  Hindoostani  that  I  had  heard 
about  Maphla  Town  and  the  Maphla  people,  and 
that  as  I  was  interested  in  all  that  I  had  heard  of 
their  daring  attacks  on  individual  soldiers  and 
also  upon  the  garrison  from  time  to  time ;  I  wanted 
to  know  more  of  this  warlike  race  from  personal 
observation.  The  man  showed  great  apparent 
concern  and  repeatedly  urged  upon  me  to  leave 
the  place  while  I  had  the  opportunity. 

He  called  my  attention  to  the  large  number  of 
men  congregating  on  either  side  of  the  street  at  a 
cross-road  about  half  way  through  the  town. 

He  said,  "You  see  the  number  of  men  is  in- 
creasing. All  the  Maphlas  are  gathering  at  the 
cross-roads.  There  are  many  more  on  either  side 
whom  you  can  not  see.  You  can  not  go  past  them. 
You  will  disappear  either  to  the  right  or  to  the 
left." 

I  smilingly  assured  him  that  I  did  not  believe 
that  his  people  were  quite  as  bad  as  they  had  been 
painted.  If  they  had  molested  soldiers  in  their 
town  or  had  attacked  the  troops  that  were  in  gar- 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph         185 

rison  such  attacks  had  originated  through  some 
imaginary  or  actual  grievance.  They  would  soon 
see  that  they  could  have  no  cause  for  offense  at 
my  presence  among  them,  for  the  reason  that  I 
neither  intended  to  offer  nor  take  offense.  "My 
visit  is  made  in  consequence  of  the  interest  I  have 
in  the  welfare  of  your  people,  and  your  friendly 
advice  to  me  assures  me  that  my  confidence  in  the 
Maphlas  is  not  misplaced."  With  a  respectful 
salaam,  he  left  the  window. 

When  I  entered  the  street  it  was  a  busy  thor- 
oughfare; with  the  exception  of  the  gathering 
crowd  of  men  at  the  cross-way  referred  to,  the 
street  was  deserted.  As  I  walked  along,  casually 
glancing  at  the  houses,  I  observed  that  while  quiet- 
ness reigned  supreme  there  were  people  quietly 
watching  my  approach ;  and,  as  I  got  further  down 
the  street  I  observed  that  business  had  been  re- 
sumed in  my  rear,  while  the  number  of  men  at  the 
crossing  showed  signs  of  restless  activity,  some 
disappearing  around  the  corners  as  others  ap- 
peared. 

It  was  apparent  to  me  that  an  attack  was  in- 
tended and  that  the  resumption  of  business  activ- 
ity and  noise,  made  by  the  venders,  was  intended 
to  cover  the  assault  from  observation  from  the  out- 
skirts of  the  town.  When  I  came  to  within  thirty 
yards  of  the  cross-road  about  fifty  men  were  in 
view  on  either  side  and  evidence  of  a  number  being 
behind  or  in  the  buildings.  After  having  ad- 
vanced about  ten  paces  more,  the  Maphlas  came 
into  the  open  and  formed  a  line  across  the  street. 
On  either  side  of  the  street  business  had  now  been 


186         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

resumed.  I  went  up  to  a  fruit  vender  on  the 
right-hand  side  and  purchased  some  green  cocoa- 
nuts,  bananas  and  other  fruits  and  asked  the  fruit 
vender  to  kindly  present  them  with  my  compli- 
ments to  his  fellow  people,  and  to  thank  them  for 
the  courtesy  they  had  shown  me  in  having  thus 
left  their  business  to  accord  me  so  hearty  a  re- 
ception ;  to  say  that  I  appreciated  the  honor  paid 
to  me  and  regretted  that  my  limited  knowledge  of 
the  language  did  not  admit  of  my  giving  any  ade- 
quate expression  of  my  appreciation  of  their  loy- 
alty and  friendship. 

The  astonished  fruit  vender  looked  at  me  as 
though  he  wondered  whether  I  had  taken  leave  of 
my  senses,  or,  if  I  really  thought  the  town  had 
turned  out  in  my  honor. 

The  natural  politeness  characteristic  in  the 
Asiatic  races  asserted  itself  in  my  friend  the  fruit 
vender,  and,  stepping  from  the  porch  he  ap- 
proached certain  men  whom  I  had  already  singled 
out  as  the  chiefs  of  the  town.  He  delivered  my 
message  of  thanks  and  informed  them  of  my  gift 
of  fruits.  I  had  myself  approached  the  party  be- 
fore the  chiefs  had  recovered  from  their  surprise, 
and  invited  them  to  step  to  the  store  and  accept 
of  my  hospitality  of  refreshing  milk  from  the 
green  cocoanuts  and  other  fruits. 

The  party  then  came  to  the  fruit  vender's  and 
enjoyed  the  cocoanut  milk;  there  not  being  enough 
cocoanuts  to  go  round,  a  larger  supply  was 
brought  from  the  neighboring  bazaar.  The 
Maphla  chief  insisted  upon  paying  for  the  major 
portion  of  the  fruit. 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph         187 

A  moment  or  two  after  the  invitation  to  my 
newly-made  friends,  my  former  acquaintance  of 
the  window  dialogue  approached  me  with  a  pro- 
found salaam,  and  congratulated  me  upon  my  fear- 
lessness and  graciousness,  both  of  which  quali- 
ties, the  Maphlas,  as  a  race,  ardently  admire,  and 
assured  me  that  I  would  always  be  welcome  in 
Maphla  Town. 

Some  of  the  leading  men,  including  my  first  ac- 
quaintance, whose  names  I  can  not  recall,  as  the 
incident  occurred  about  twenty-eight  years  ago, 
escorted  me  to  the  other  end  of  the  town  and 
showed  me  every  courtesy. 

The  above  incident  and  many  other  observations 
in  various  parts  of  India  during  my  long  experi- 
ence in  that  country  convinced  me  many  years  ago 
that  the  solution  of  the  problem  of  the  peaceful 
and  successful  administration  of  the  Indian  Em- 
pire; the  removal  of  famines  and  promotion  of 
prosperity  amongst  its  three  hundred  millions  in- 
habitants, lies  not  in  the  "mailed  hand"  repre- 
sented by  the  60,000  British  troops  and  an  Indian 
Army,  but  in  the  establishment  of  equity  and  jus- 
tice in  our  commercial  and  political  relations 
within  the  Empire ;  so,  too,  the  solution  of  the  per- 
plexing problem  of  universal  peace,  now  agitating 
the  civilized  world,  lies  in  the  establishment  of  the 
"Reign  of  the  Law' '—Equity  and  Justice  in  the 
administration  of  political  and  commercial  re- 
lations in  and  between  the  great  centers  of  Occi- 
dental and  Oriental  civilization. 

My  experience  in  Malliapuram  was  pleasant. 
I  went  about  a  great  deal  in  the  surrounding  coun- 


188         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelpli 

try  where  the  British  soldier  had  never  been  in 
the  memory  of  some  of  the  oldest  residents. 

On  one  occasion  I  paid  a  visit  in  company  with 
my  faithful  comrade  and  friend,  Benjamin  Hor- 
nett,  to  Talliparamba,  about  sixteen  miles  distant. 

That  the  people  of  this  quaint  religious  town  had 
never  seen  a  white  man,  with  the  exception  of  our 
friend  the  missionary,  Dr.  Weismann,  may  be  seen 
from  the  fact  that  half  the  town  came  out  at  least  a 
mile  to  meet  us  when  they  saw  us  coming  along 
the  road  toward  the  town.  We  visited  the  Mis- 
sion there,  where  Dr.  Weismann  was  staying  at 
the  time. 

Each  time  we  went  out  to  see  the  interesting- 
sights  of  the  surrounding  country,  of  which  we 
could  get  a  splendid  view  from  the  surrounding 
hills,  hundreds  of  natives  followed  at  a  respectful 
distance.  There  is  a  temple  standing  on  a  hill, 
which  is  closed  to  all  but  the  faithful.  Dr.  Weis- 
mann presented  a  deputation  of  the  principal  rep- 
resentatives of  the  town,  who  were  much  pleased 
at  our  voluntary  assurance  that  we  respected  the 
religious  faith  of  all  people  as  we  did  also  their 
sacred  temples,  and  that  we  recognized  the  truth 
of  the  text  of  their  sacred 

Eig  Veda  X,  82,  3. 
"He  who  is  our  Father  that  begot  us,  He  who  is 

the  Creator, 

He  who  knows  all  places  and  all  creatures, 
He  who  gave  names  to  the  gods,  being  One  only, 
To  Him  all  creatures  go,  to  ask  HIM." 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph         189 

Ekam  eva  advitiyam — ' '  There  is  but  ONE  BEING, 
no  second. " 


And  we  hold  that  religion  is  broad  enough  to 
accept  the  spirit  of  the  following  beautiful  lines : 

"  There  is,  we  know,  one  primitive  and  sure  re- 
ligion pure — 

Unchanged  in  spirit,  though  its  forms  and  codes 
wear  myriad  modes — 

Contains  all  creeds  within  its  mighty  span— 

The  love  of  God  displayed  in  love  for  man." 

One  afternoon,  shortly  after  my  arrival  in  Mal- 
liapuram,  when  passing  the  barracks  to  my  quar- 
ters, I  met  the  officer  commanding  the  station,  Ma- 
jor F.  F.  Johnstone.  Saluting  him,  I  was  about  to 
pass  on  my  way  when  he  interrupted  me  with  the 
surprising  question,  "  Corporal  Norman,  where 
are  your  stripes?" 

"I  replied  that  the  only  stripes  I  had  were  in 
my  trousers,  unless  he  took  my  good-conduct  badge 
for  a  corporal's  stripe." 

If  I  was  surprised  at  the  question,  a  greater 
surprise  was  quickly  to  follow.  His  next  remark 
was,  "You  are  in  orders  to-day  for  lance-corporal. 
You  ought  to  have  been  shown  the  orders.  Go  at 
once  to  the  tailor's  shop  and  have  your  stripes 
attached." 

"But,  sir,  I  have  protested  for  the  last  three 
years  that  I  did  not  wish  for  promotion." 

"Yes,  sir,  I  know  you  have;  and  had  you  not 


190         Memoirs  of  Prmce  John  De  Guelph 

been  such  a  fool  in  having  refused  promotion  you 
would  have  had  a  commission  by  this  time  instead 
of  a  lance-corporal's  stripe.  Promotion  goes  very 
slowly  in  India,  but  I  congratulate  you  in  having 
won  the  respect  and  confidence  of  the  officers,  non- 
commissioned officers,  and  men  to  the  extent  that 
the  first  step  has  been  given  you  without  your 
knowledge  or  application;  I  wish  you  every  suc- 
cess." 

Two  incidents  occurred  shortly  after  this  which 
threatened  in  each  case  to  bring  my  career  as  a 
non-commissioned  officer  to  a  sudden  end. 

The  first  incident  occurred  the  day  following  my 
promotion.  It  was  my  first  experience  as  com- 
mander of  the  guard,  having  charge  of  all  the  de- 
tachment posts. 

After  having  posted  my  sentries  at  2  A.  M.,  I 
threw  myself  upon  my  cot,  which  was  standing 
across  the  open  door  of  the  guard  room,  in  order 
to  receive  the  full  benefit  of  the  fresh  air.  I  was, 
of  course,  fully  dressed  and  wearing  my  side  arms, 
prepared  to  turn  out  at  any  instant. 

The  officer  of  the  day  might  visit  the  guard,  or 
an  alarm  might  be  given  at  any  moment ;  but,  fail- 
ing these  I  was  free  to  take  a  nap  until  time  to 
send  out  relief  sentries  at  4  A.  M.,  unless  I  should 
wish  to  go  my  rounds  of  the  sentries  in  the  mean- 
time. 

I  was  enjoying  a  quiet  doze,  a  light  sleep 
through  which  I  could  distinctly  hear  the  sentry 
pacing  to  and  fro  just  in  front  of  the  guard-room 
about  3  A.  M. 

His  post  extended  only  about  fifteen  paces  to 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph         191 

the  right  and  left  of  the  guard-room  doOr.  Hence 
very  little  danger  of  the  guard  being  surprised 
without  knowledge  of  the  sentry.  My  nap  was 
suddenly  terminated  by  something  bounding  onto 
my  cot.  I  was  conscious  that  the  creature,  what- 
ever it  might  be,  was  in  search  of  prey,  and  that 
it  was  standing  over  me,  as  I  felt  its  heated  breath 
close  to  my  face. 

Opening  my  eyes,  I  looked  up  to  see — the 
dreaded  tiger  which  had  been  terrorizing  the  town 
and  which  a  number  of  officers  and  men  had  been 
hunting  with  rifles  for  two  days.  The  beast  had 
me  at  a  disadvantage,  as  his  position,  standing 
across  my  body,  rendered  it  impossible  for  me  to 
seize  him  by  the  throat  or  to  move  without  the 
brute  anticipating  my  action.  My  only  chance 
seemed  to  be  that  the  sentry,  looking  in  at  the 
door  as  he  passed,  could  shoot  the  beast  as  he 
stood  over  me,  but  this  was  only  problematical, 
as  his  attention  is  supposed  to  be  directed  in  any 
other  quarter  than  gaping  into  the  guard  room. 

I  accordingly  struck  up  friendly  relations  with 
my  visitor.  As  I  heard  the  sentry  approaching  the 
door,  I  said,  "Hello!  Tiger,  old  man,  how  are 
you?" 

The  sentry,  thinking  I  was  talking  in  my  sleep, 
was  about  to  pass  by,  but  casually  glanced  in  at 
the  door.  There  was  a  light  in  the  guard-room, 
and  he  was  only  five  paces  from  me.  He  was  hor- 
rified at  what  he  saw  and  halted.  I  gave  a  quiet 
order :  *  *  Load,  and  fire ! ' ' 

He  brought  his  rifle  to  the  "ready,"  and  opened 
the  breech  to  load,  when  the  tiger,  thinking  di's- 


19$         Memoirs  of  Prmce  John  De  Guelph 

cretion  the  better  part  of  valor,  bounded  off  my 
cot  and  out  of  the  open  door,  passing  the  sentry 
before  that  astonished  individual  could  thrust 
him  with  his  bayonet. 

The  beast  had  again  escaped — and  so  had  I  es- 
caped a  most  horrible  death  from  hydrophobia,— 
for  Tiger  was  a  huge  mad  dog.  He  had  hitherto 
been  the  Mascot  of  the  regiment,  and  was  named 
" Tiger,"  as  he  bore  a  striking  resemblance  to  the 
tiger  in  size,  color  and  strength.  Tiger  was  the 
property  of  a  bugler.  Any  pensioner  of  the  Bed- 
f  ordshires  who  served  at  Malliapuram  at  that  time 
will  recall  both  the  faithful  Mascot,  the  above  in- 
cident and  the  sad  end  of  old  " Tiger."  He  was 
shot  by  a  search  party  later  in  the  day. 

A  few  days  later  I  was  placed  in  charge  of  the 
regimental  post-office  and  coffee-shop,  which  stood 
in  an  isolated  place  on  the  bank  of  the  river. 

Immediately  behind  the  building  was  a  steep 
embankment  of  about  a  hundred  feet,  densely  cov- 
ered with  an  undergrowth,  forming  a  safe  retreat 
for  thousands  of  reptiles  and  wild  beasts.  The 
barracks  formerly  destroyed  by  the  Maphlas  had 
stood  on  the  wide  area  which  now  separated  me 
from  the  regimental  quarters. 

A  few  nights  after  taking  charge  of  my  new 
duties  I  had  undressed  and  put  out  the  light  pre- 
paratory to  retiring.  It  being  the  hot  season  I 
threw  back  the  sheet  and  stretched  my  weary  body 
on  the  bed.  I  had  no  sooner  done  so,  however,  than 
I  had  a  sudden  inspiration  to  get  up  again.  As  a 
student  of  psychology  I  had  frequently  profited  by 
my  knowledge  of  physiological-psychology,  but  at 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph         193 

last  I  had  embraced  the  wisdom  of  the  serpent — I 
was  not  only  lying  with,  but  on,  a  deadly  cobra. 

The  blissful  communion  of  "a  man  and  a  maid" 
bears  no  comparison  with  the  psychological  effect 
on  1 1  a  man  with  a  cobra. ' ' 

As  with  the  one  so  with  the  other,  they  are 
branches  of  transcendental  knowledge  attained 
only  by  experience.  The  magical  sensation  experi- 
enced by  a  weary  warrior  when  he  feels  the  circle 
or  coil  of  wisdom — the  clammy  folds  of  a  serpent 
in  communion  with  the  lumbar  regions  of  his 
psycho-physical  being  must  be  experienced  to  be 
appreciated. 

I  can  only  say  that  the  intercommunion  so  elec- 
trifies and  vitalizes  the  highest  cortical  centers  that 
perfect  connection  between  mind  and  matter  is 
established  like  a  flash  of  chain  lightning,  and,  lo ! 
the  man  of  knowledge  has  become  "as  wise  as  a 
serpent"-— the  natural  issue  of  the  social  congress. 
Moral. — Let  him  who  seeks  wisdom,  go  to  Eden, 
and,  like  Adam,  embrace  the  serpent. 


CHAPTER  XX 

A  FALSE  ALARM! — THE  BLIND  MISSIONARY — A  TRUE 

ROMANCE 1  REFUSE  THE  MANAGEMENT  OF  A 

LARGE  TEA  AND  COFFEE  PLANTATION — 

6  i  PANGS   OF   REGRET  " 

WHEN  taking  over  my  duties  as  manager  of  the 
regimental  post-office  and  coffee-shop  I  was  ad- 
vised to  be  on  the  alert  for  hostile  Maphlas,  who 
prowled  about  the  military  lines  at  night.  One 
night,  shortly  after  midnight,  I  was  awakened  by 
stealthy  footsteps  of  some  bare-footed  person  or 
persons  at  the  back  of  my  quarters.  Taking  my 
rifle  and  twenty  rounds  of  ammunition,  I  went  out- 
side to  investigate  without  attempting  to  awaken 
my  assistant,  lest  in  doing  so  I  should  alarm  the 
enemy. 

Should  his  assistance  be  necessary  the  first  shot 
would  call  him  and-  the  whole  garrison  to  arms. 

All  was  clear  in  front  of  the  building;  the  in- 
truders were  now  coming  along  the  north  side, 
evidently  to  attack  either  through  the  north  win- 
dow or  for  the  purpose  of  entering  the  front  door. 
It  may  be  stated  that  owing  to  the  heat  both  door 
and  windows  were  open. 

To  forestall  an  attack  through  the  window, 
which  might  prove  fatal  to  my  assistant,  Private 

194 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph         195 

Cooper,  I  turned  the  corner  and  brought  my  rifle 
to  my  shoulder,  covering  the  man  who  was  then 
looking  in  at  the  window.  My  sudden  movement 
so  startled  the  disturber  of  my  peaceful  slumbers 
that  he  jumped  and  yelled  as  I  thought  only  a 
frightened  man  could  yell.  Not  wishing  to  send 
a  man  into  the  next  world  while  laboring  under 
such  a  mental  shock,  I  spared  his  life.  It  was — 
Private  Cooper  taking  a  little  fresh  air  in  his 
pajamas,  contrary  to  orders. 

In  the  latter  part  of  1881,  not  having  yet  be- 
come acclimated,  and  having  suffered  as  most 
men  do  from  the  change  of  climate  and  mode  of 
life  during  the  first  two  years,  I  was  ordered  to 
the  Health  Station  of  Wellington,  near  Ootaca- 
mund.  This  Health  Station  serves  for  all  troops 
in  the  South  West  of  India. 

I  became  an  assistant  master  in  the  military 
school,  where  I  remained  through  my  first  season 
in  Wellington. 

As  the  junior  member  of  the  teachers '  staff  and 
as  the  junior  non-commissioned  officer,  I  was  as- 
signed to  the  primary  grade  with  the  children  and 
to  the  fourth  grade  of  the  men.  In  the  absence 
of  the  head  master  from  his  class  in  the  High 
School  with  the  children  and  the  first  and  second 
grades  for  non-commissioned  officers,  it  was  cus- 
tomary to  have  the  first  assistant  master,  a  ser- 
geant, take  his  classes.  A  few  days  after  my 
appointment  I  called  to  take  charge  of  the  head 
master's  classes  over  the  heads  of  my  superiors. 

During  my  second  season,  I  was  in  the  pay- 
master's office.  My  evenings  were  mostly  spent  in 


196         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

participating  in  missionary  meetings  at  Coonoor, 
about  three  miles  distant  from  Wellington,  or  at- 
tending choral  practice  and  social  gatherings,  be- 
ing a  member  of  the  church  choir;  the  Eev.  Mr. 
Browne  was  the  army  chaplain  at  that  time,  and 
thus  passed  a  most  enjoyable  and  edifying  time. 

It  was  my  custom  to  go  up  to  Ootacamund  every 
Saturday  afternoon,  situated  about  ten  miles  fur- 
ther up  the  Ghats  from  Wellington,  to  remain 
over  the  week-end.  The  reader  will  probably  be 
of  the  opinion  that  there  must  have  been  some 
great  attraction  to  induce  me  to  take  a  weekly 
climb  from  ten  to  twelve  miles  up  the  mountain 
side.  To  satisfy  their  curiosity  I  will  relate  what 
the  attraction  was. 

The  pastor  of  the  English  Baptist  Church  of 
Ootacamund  at  that  time  was  the  Eev.  Mr.  Pearce, 
who  was  spending  the  "winter"  of  his  long  mis- 
sionary service  in  the  peace  and  quietude  of  that 
European  settlement  in  the  bosom  of  the  Nilgiri 
Hills. 

Mr.  Pearce  has,  no  doubt,  long  since  gone  to  his 
reward  for  his  long  labors  in  the  Master's  vine- 
yard, for  at  that  time  in  1881-2  he  was  well  beyond 
the  age  of  four  score  years. 

He  was  totally  blind  and  rather  feeble.  It  was 
a  joy  to  him,  however,  to  continue  in  the  pastorate 
of  his  church,  notwithstanding  his  great  age  and 
sore  affliction.  It  was  my  pleasure  and  privilege 
to  read  from  the  Scriptures  and  other  works  to 
him,  and  the  greater  privilege  of  profiting  by  the 
wise  and  fatherly  counsels  of  that  saintly  patri- 
arch. It  was  also  my  pleasure  to  assist  the  pastor 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph         197 

at  the  church  services  on  each  Sabbath;  the  read- 
ing of  the  lessons  and  hymns  falling  to  nie. 

I  can  not  touch  upon  the  social  privileges  afford- 
ed by  the  many  pleasant  associations  in  Ootaca- 
mund  without  first  paying  due  honor  to  the  lov- 
ing devotion  of  Mrs.  Peabody-Pearce  to  her  hus- 
hand. 

Mrs.  Pearce  herself  had  been  for  many  years  a 
missionary  in  India.  She  was  less  than  one-half 
the  age  of  Mr.  Pearce,  whom  she  married  when  he 
was  over  eighty  years  of  age,  blind,  and  otherwise 
afflicted,  in  order  that  she  might  nurse  him  and 
care  for  him  during  his  last  days  on  earth.  Words 
utterly  fail  to  adequately  express  the  devoted  man- 
ner in  which  she  carried  out  this  self-imposed  ser- 
vice to  the  aged  man  of  God.  I  can  only  describe 
their  home  as  being  the  nearest  approach  to  the 
' '  Holy  of  Holies ' '  of  anything  of  which  it  is  possi- 
ble to  conceive  upon  earth.  Mrs.  Pearce  is  an 
American  lady,  and  related  to  the  celebrated  Pea- 
body  family,  of  which  the  inventor  of  the  famous 
Peabody  rifle  was  also  a  member. 

Mrs.  Pearce,  I  have  no  doubt,  is  still  living  at 
* '  Woodend, ' '  a  beautiful  bungalow  in  Octacamund, 
the  building  of  which  I  was  privileged  to  assist 
in  supervising  in  the  year  1882. 

I  received  an  invitation  to  spend  some  weeks 
with  my  friends,  the  Eev.  and  Mrs.  Pearce,  an 
invitation  which  I  highly  appreciated  and  accept- 
ed. I  arrived  on  Saturday  evening.  Many  dis- 
tinguished guests  were  present  from  Octacamund 
and  elsewhere;  among  others  was  a  young  and 
most  beautiful  French  widow,  whose  name  for  ob- 


198         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

vious  reasons  I  will  omit.  The  responsibility  of 
the  management  of  a  very  large  estate  had  been 
thrust  upon  her  by  the  death  of  her  husband,  a 
great  undertaking  for  a  lady  so  young  and  lovely, 
as  the  successful  management  of  such  an  estate 
necessarily  involves  not  only  experience,  but  con- 
stant supervision  over  a  large  number  of  coolies, 
scattered  over  a  vast  area,  and  the  thousand  and 
one  duties  connected  with  the  business  of  the 
estate. 

One  morning  Mrs.  Peabody-Pearce  surprised 
me  by  stating  that  my  French  friend,  Madame 

,  had  expressedia  wish  that  I  would  undertake 

the  management  of  her  tea  and  coffee  plantation. 

Looking  at  Mrs.  Pearce,  I  replied,  "I  am  sur- 
prised that  Madame should  have  made  such 

a  request.  She  is  so  talented  and  accomplished 
and  such  a  good  business  woman  that  I  can  not 
understand  why  she  should  desire  to  place  her 
large  estate  in  the  hands  of  a  young  and  inexpe- 
rienced man  like  me.  She  needs  the  friendly 
counsel  of  older  heads.  Please  advise  her  to  ob- 
tain the  services  of  a  thoroughly  experienced 
man  to  take  charge  of  her  estate.  She  can  not  be 
too  careful  in  selecting  a  man  for  such  a  respon- 
sible position.  I  would  suggest  that  she  commu- 
nicate with  some  reputable  agents  to  secure  the 
services  of  a  man  of  integrity,  one  who  can  be  re- 
lied upon  to  protect  her  interests." 

"But,"  persisted  Mrs.  Pearce,  " Madame 

says  she  can  rely  upon  you  to  protect  her  inter- 
ests. She  wants  you  to  manage  her  estate.  She 
is  quite  aware  that  you  are  inexperienced  in  the 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelpli         199 

management  of  tea  and  coffee  plantations,  but  she 
says,  and  I  agree  with  her,  that  after  two  or  three 
years'  experience  you  would  be  a  past  master  in 
the  business  of  tea  -and  coffee  raising''  (this  with 
a  smile). 

"It  is  inconceivable,"  I  said,  "why  Madame 
should  put  herself  to  the  unnecessary  ex- 
pense of  paying  double  salaries  during  the  time 
I  would  be  learning  the  business,  when  she  can  at 
once  obtain  the  services  of  a  proficient  manager. ' ' 

Mrs.  Pearce  smiled  and  said,  "I  fear  that  you 
are  almost  as  inexperienced  in  the  ways  of  a 
woman  as  you  are  in  growing  coffee.  To  speak 

plainly,  Madame has  fallen  in  love  with  you 

and  wants  you  to  manage  her.  She  appreciates 
your  gentlemanly  bearing  and  courtesy  to  the 
ladies,  and  I  take  this  opportunity  to  thank  you 
for  your  tact  and  diplomacy  in  the  company  of  my 
guests  and  the  young  ladies  of  my  school  (refer- 
ring to  the  Young  Ladies'  Seminary  of  which  she 
was  principal).  I  hope  you  will  see  more  of  Mad- 
ame -  -  and  that  you  will,  in  due  time,  become 
the  proprietor  of  the  estate." 

Much  to  Mrs.  Pearce 's  surprise,  and  to  Mad- 
ame -  -'s  grief,  I  explained  that  it  was  utterly 
impossible  for  me  to  think  of  marriage  at  that 

time.  I  could  not  help  but  admire  Madame 

very  much  and  wished  I  could  serve  her,  but  that 
I  owed  my  duty  to  my  country,  the  details  of 
which  I  could  not  explain,  and  that  in  carrying 
out  my  duty  to  my  country,  I  was  also  performing 
a  most  sacred  duty  to  my  mother.  Personal  in- 


200         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

terests  and  feelings  could  not,  therefore,  be  taken 
into  consideration  at  the  expense  of  duty. 

Madame  ,  although  much  affected  by  the 

disappointment,  expressed  her  appreciation  of  my 
sentiments.  I  am  not  ashamed  to  acknowledge 
that  I  had,  myself,  fallen  in-  love  with  the  beau- 
tiful French  lady  before  I  learned  anything  about 
her  estates  or  wealth,  and  that  it  was  not  without 
a  pang  of  regret  that  I  had  to  turn  from  a  love 
so  noble  as  that  offered  to  me  in  this  remarkable 
manner. 


CHAPTER  XXI 

I  REJOIN  MY  REGIMENT — MILITARY  LIFE  IN  BURMA — 
AN  EXCITING  TIME  WITH  A  COMPANY  OF  MADRAS 
NATIVE     INFANTRY — I     LEAVE    THE    ARMY- 
APPOINTED   INSPECTOR   OF   POLICE — AN 
EXCITING  ARREST 

EARLY  in  1883, 1  bade  good-bye  to  my  friends  of 
Ootacamund  and  Wellington  to  rejoin  the  head- 
quarters of  my  regiment,  which  during  my  ab- 
sence had  removed  from  the  Malabar  coast  to 
Thayetmye  (Taw-Kyoung),  then  the  frontier  sta- 
tion of  lower  Burma.  Here,  for  the  first  time  in 
my  service,  I  was  assigned  to  regimental  duty. 

A  few  days  after  joining  my  regiment  I  passed 
my  final  examination  in  military  tactics  as  com- 
pany and  battalion  commander.  I  was,  shortly 
afterwards,  promoted  to  the  rank  of  corporal  and 
assigned  to  Company  G.,  Captain  W.  A.  Aid- 
worth.  I  took  up  the  study  of  the  Burmese  lan- 
guage as  well  as  that  of  the  customs  and  man- 
ners of  the  people  and  their  religion,  Buddhism. 
Here,  again,  I  was  a  member  of  the  church  choir 
of  the  late  Kev.  Mr.  Briscoe,  Army  Chaplain. 

In  Thayetmyo  our  missionary  meetings  were 

attended  by  many  Eurasians,  which  new  associa- 

201 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelpli 

tions  afforded  me  a  channel  through  which  to 
come  in  closer  contact  with  the  Burmese  than  I 
could  otherwise  have  done  while  in  the  British 
service. 

A  very  pathetic  case  of  the  tragic  death,  follow- 
ing a  remarkable  dream,  of  one  of  our  men  is  of 
such  value  to  psychologists  that  I  will  relate  it. 

Private 's  (whose  name  I  do  not  recall, 

but  which  case  can  be  easily  verified)  cot  was  next 
to  mine  in  the  barrack-room,  of  which  I  had 
charge.  On  the  day  in  question  a  sham  battle 
was  ordered.  My  regiment  was  to  form  part  of 
the  invading  army  to  capture  the  garrison  town 
of  Thayetmyo.  Eevielle  sounded  about  1.30  A.  M. 
On  getting  up  to  dress  for  the  field-day,  Private 
-  came  to  me  and  explained  that  he  had  had 
a  dream  which  made  him  feel  very  bad.  I  asked 
him  to  relate  the  dream  to  me,  and  added  that  if 
there  was  any  way  in  which  I  could  relieve  his 
mind  I  would  be  pleased  to  do  so.  Being  thus  en- 
couraged he  stated  as  follows : 

"I  dreamed  that  we  had  marched  out  from  the 
barracks  to  the  country  and  after  having  been 
formed  in  order  for  attack  upon  the  Thayetmyo 
Fort,  the  return  march  was  commenced.  I  was 
attached  to  the  section  of  which  you  had  command 
in  escalading  the  walls  of  the  fort.  The  attack 
in  our  advance  across  the  open  plain  to  the  Fort 
was  all  very  vivid  to  me.  At  length  we  reached 
the  moat  under  heavy  fire  from  the  artillery  and 
infantry  defending  the  fort.  The  attacking  party 
reached  the  walls  in  good  order;  escalading  lad- 
ders were  placed  against  the  wall.  As  I  said  be- 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  GuelpJi         203 

fore,  I  was  with  your  section  in  the  escalading 
party;  you,  being  in  command,  were  the  first  to 
ascend  the  ladder.  I  followed  at  your  heels.  As 
you  stepped  onto  the  rampart  I  had  reached  the 
top  of  the  ladder,  and,  as  you  stepped  to  the 
right,  I  stepped  onto  the  parapet.  I  had  no  sooner 
done  so  than  I  was  killed  by  the  gun  trained  over 
our  ladder. 

"I  am  not  superstitious  and  much  less  a  coward, 
but,  you  know  I  have  served  ten  months  over  my 
time  and  go  home  by  the  first  troop-ship  next 
month.  My  dear  old  mother  has  been  counting 
the  days  for  more  than  a  year,  thinking,  of  course, 
that  I  ought  to  have  been  sent  home  when  my 
time  was  up.  It  would  be  a  terrible  blow  to  her 
if  I  should  not  go  home. ' ' 

On  hearing  the  recital  of  this  dream,  and  re- 
membering equally  remarkable  dreams  of  my  own 
which  had  come  true,  I  called  the  orderly  corporal 

and  ordered  him  to  put  Private 's  name  on 

the  sick  list.  This  action  satisfied  Private 

for  the  time  being,  but,  about  ten  minutes  before 
time  for  the  parade,  he  said,  "I  am  not  sick,  and 
can  not  shirk  my  duty  even  though  it  be  only  that 
of  a  field-day,  on  account  of  a  dream. " 

He  insisted  upon  attending  parade  and  was 
killed  exactly  as  he  had  foreseen,  as  he  stepped  on 
the  rampart  the  instant  I  had  made  room  for  him 
to  step  from  the  ladder. 

This  sad  fatality  was  the  fault  of  the  gunners 
who  had  trained  their  guns  immediately  over  our 
ladder,  or  rather,  on  the  point  at  which  my  men 
would  step  off.  This  was  contrary  to  military 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

field-day  regulations.  The  parade  was  under  the 
command  of  Major  General  Prendergast. 

At  a  sham  fight  in  Thayetmyo  I  was  placed  in 
command  of  a  detachment  of  the  Bedfordshires 
and  ordered  to  attack,  and,  if  possible,  capture  a 
company  of  the  28th  Madras  Native  Infantry  of 
the  opposing  force.  Having  driven  them  from 
their  fortified  position,  I  pursued  them  across 
the  open  plain,  and  thus  put  them  out  of  action. 
The  military  umpires  ordered  the  buglers  to  sound 
the  "  cease  fire"  and  "  re  treat"  for  the  28th  Mad- 
ras Native  Infantry.  The  Madrases,  however, 
refused  to  obey  orders  and  continued  their  fire. 
The  Madras  blood  was  up  and  as  they  could  not 
be  killed  by  blank  ammunition,  they  continued  to 
blaze  away.  Being  hard  pressed,  they  finally  re- 
treated in  disorder  to  the  compound  of  a  neighbor- 
ing bungalow  after  having  been  driven  about  a 
mile  and  a  half  across  the  plains. 

The  Bedfordshires  in  close  pursuit  were  drawn 
up  in  front  of  the  wide  gate-way  before  the  28th 
was  prepared  for  action.  I  ordered  the  28th  to 
"Ground  Arms."  Instead  of  obeying  this  order 
the  officer  in  charge,  who  was,  like  his  men,  much 
excited,  gave  the  order,  '  '  28th,  fix  bayonets ! ' ' 

It  is  against  orders  to  "fix  bayonets"  during  a 
sham  fight.  It  is  also  against  orders  for  troops 
to  carry  ball  cartridges  on  such  a  field-day  (the 
wisdom  of  such  an  order,  considering  the  church 
parade  surprise  to  the  British  troops  in  1857,  is 
to  be  questioned).  The  action  of  the  28th  was, 
therefore,  of  a  mutinous  character,  and  had  to  be 
nipped  in  the  bud;  I  accordingly  determined  to 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph         205 

give  the  28th  the  scare  of  their  lives.  I  was  credit- 
ed with  having  as  powerful  a  word  of  command  as 
any  officer  in  the  garrison.  My  next  command 
rang  out  over  the  plains  causing  a  sensation 
among  the  umpires  and  the  general  staff,  then 
galloping  at  top  speed  toward  the  scene  of  mutiny ; 
the  command  was,  "Bedfordshires,  fix  bayonets !" 
"Fire  a  volley  and  charge!"  "With  ball  cart- 
ridge, load ! "  "  Present ! ' '  "  Fire ! ! " 

The  umpires  had  by  this  time  thundered  up  to 
the  adobe  wall  surrounding  the  compound,  only 
to  find  all  the  fight  taken  out  of  the  Madras  Native 
Infantry.  Needless  to  say  the  (ball)  cartridge 
existed  only  in  the  word  of  command;  but  the 
psychological  effect  produced  on  the  Madras  In- 
fantry would  form  an  amusing  subject  for  the 
vitograph. 

The  officer  commanding  the  28th  was  placed 
under  arrest  for  disobedience  of  orders,  while  I 
was  complimented  for  the  tact  displayed  by  my 
ruse. 

The  political  unrest  in  Burma  and  the  conditions 
under  which  the  people  lived  caused  me  to  wish 
for  better  facilities  for  investigation  than  those 
afforded  to  me  under  the  restrictions  of  military 
discipline  and  the  disadvantages  of  being  a  soldier 
against  which  profession  much  prejudice  existed 
among  the  people. 

In  the  month  of  October,  1884,  I  purchased  my 
discharge  from  the  army,  much  against  the  wish 
of  my  commanding  officer  and  the  officers  of  my 
company.  In  January,  1885,  I  was  appointed  In- 
spector of  Police  and  assigned  to  duty  as  ship- 


206         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

ping  inspector  at  Bassein,  on  the  Bassein  Biver. 
The  principal  shipping  at  Bassein  is  rice,  which  is 
shipped  to  the  principal  markets  of  the  world. 

My  office  as  shipping  inspector  afforded  me  the 
opportunity  to  study  one  of  the  principal  indus- 
tries of  the  country, — the  rice  trade,  and  also  to 
familiarize  myself  with  the  real  cause  of  famines 
in  India.  The  Government  reports  published  in 
the  official  Blue  Books  show  that  from  1861  the 
deficiency  of  the  rainfall  in  the  districts  affected 
by  famine  was  never  more  than  such  as  would 
cause  a  temporary  lift  in  prices.  The  late  William 
Digby,  C.  I.  E.,  who  was  one  of  the  greatest  au- 
thorities on  the  economic  conditions  and  famines 
of  India,  said  the  increasing  frequency  and  sever- 
ity of  famines  in  India  must  be  attributed  to  our 
system  of  administration  of  that  Empire.  In  view 
of  the  fact  that  the  British  Government  had  spent 
several  hundred  million  dollars  and  had  construct- 
ed the  most  elaborate  irrigation  system  in  the 
world,  advantages  not  enjoyed  previous  to  the 
British  occupation  when  famines  were  much  less 
frequent,  it  became  apparent  to  me  that  the  prin- 
cipal cause  of  this  scourge,  through  which  over  a 
hundred  million  lives  had  been  sacrificed,  must 
be  looked  for  somewhere  outside  of  the  adminis- 
tration. It  did  not  take  me  long  to  discover  that 
the  real  cause  of  the  terrible  famines  and  the 
consequent  wanton  sacrifice  of  life  was  due  to  the 
White  Peril  in  India!  Not  to  British  rule  or 
British  administration  of  the  domestic  affairs  of 
that  vast  Empire,  but  to  the  rapacity  of  so-called 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph         207 

Christian  merchants.  The  White  Peril  of  Bobbery 
in  the  name  of  commerce ! 

When  capital  and  influence  combine  in  nefarious 
intrigue  against  the  Government,  the  best  efforts 
of  the  administration  to  ameliorate  the  condition 
of  the  people  are  rendered  ineffective. 

Much  is  said  against  trusts  and  monopolistic 
corporations. 

The  laws  of  Great  Britain,  which  also  apply  to 
India,  are  rigidly  enforced  against  monopoly  in 
trade- 

It  should  be  borne  in  mind  that  the  evils  aris- 
ing from  monopoly  are  due  to  the  dishonesty  of 
the  rapacious  beasts  of  prey,  called  princes  of 
commerce ! 

Monopoly  in  the  various  lines  of  commerce,  con- 
ducted on  the  lines  of  co-operative  public  service 
organizations  under  honest  and  conservative 
management  and  progressive  policy,  would  be  the 
greatest  boon  to  the  human  race. 

Who  are  the  commercial  filibusters  in  India, 
who  despoil  the  unfortunate  people  of  their  prop- 
erty and  their  very  means  of  existence  ?  Are  they 
British  merchants  and  millers? 

If  the  reader  will  refer  to  the  business  direc- 
tories of  Eangoon,  Bassein  and  Akyab,  in  Burma, 
and  of  the  large  centres  of  India,  he  will  find  that, 
with  one  exception,  the  rice  millers  in  Burma  are 
all  foreign  corporations  and  firms,  principally,  if 
not  exclusively,  Germans ;  the  one  exception  being 
a  Chinese  firm ;  foreigners  also  control  the  milling 
business  throughout  India. 

To  evade  the  law  prohibiting  monopoly  in  trade, 


208         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

the  various  rice  millers  enter  into  a  private  agree- 
ment to  control  the  price  of  paddy  (unhusked  rice) 
the  price  agreed  upon  ranging  anywhere  from 
sixty  per  cent,  to  seventy-five  per  cent,  of  the 
actual  cost  of  production.  The  same  rule  applies 
to  the  wheat  millers  in  the  northwest  and  in  the 
Punjab,  and  in  fact  throughout  India,  as  it  does 
elsewhere;  which  means  that  every  grain  of  rice 
and  wheat  cultivated  in  India  is  produced  at  the 
cost  of  the  sweat  of  the  Indians '  brow,  and  princi- 
pally for  exportation  without  either  paying  the 
market  value  for  the  commodity  to  the  purchaser 
or  a  living  wage  to  the  unfortunate  coolies  in  the 
rice  and  grain  fields. 

About  four  o'clock  one  Sunday  afternoon  in  the 
month  of  May,  1885,  I  was  in  the  main  street  in 
Bassein  when  a  man  reported  that  a  lot  of  Eu- 
ropean sailors  had  murdered  a  man  in  one  of  the 
outlying  districts  of  the  town.  Sending  my  order- 
ly at  the  double  to  call  the  reserves  from  the 
guard,  I  proceeded  to  the  scene  of  the  crime,  ex- 
pecting that  my  men  would  reach  there  by  a  dif- 
ferent route  about  the  same  time  as  myself.  I 
had  reached  the  end  of  the  town,  followed  by  a 
crowd  of  Burmese,  and  was  proceeding  along  a 
lonely  road  when  a  gang  of  thirteen  half-drunken 
sailors  armed  with  sticks,  whisky  bottles,  bottles 
of  soda-water,  jack-knives  and  other  weapons  came 
into  view  from  a  turn  in  the  road  ahead  of  me.  I 
was  unarmed,  and  with  the  exception  of  one  pair 
of  handcuffs,  had  no  means  to  secure  so  many  men 
even  if  I  could  arrest  them.  I  was  in  mufti,  and 
decided  to  pass  through  the  crowd.  One  of  the 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph         £09 

gang,  however,  identified  me  and  with  an  oath 
threw  a  bottle  of  soda-water  at  my  head.  The  air 
seemed  alive  with  bottles  and  sticks  for  a  few 
seconds.  I  arrested  my  foremost  assailant,  hand- 
cuffed him  and  threw  him  to  the  ground.  His 
twelve  infuriated  companions  while  waiting  their 
turn  for  arrest,  amused  themselves  by  disposing 
of  their  stock  of  bottles  of  soda-water  by  throw- 
ing the  same  at  my  head.  Sticks  were  then 
brought  into  play  and  jack-knives  flashed  in  the 
air. 

I  seized  one  man  who  appeared  to  be  the  ring- 
leader of  the  crowd,  and  called  to  a  Burman  to 
lend  me  his  goungboung  (turban).  He  threw  it 
to  me.  With  this  I  tied  the  hands  of  my  prisoner 
behind  him  and  threw  him  down.  Other  Burmans 
came  forward  with  their  turbans,  and  I  had  ar- 
rested and  secured  eleven  of  the  thirteen  sailors 
when  the  men  arrived. 

On  seeing  the  approach  of  the  police  in  force, 
two  men  ran  away.  I  ordered  the  removal  of  the 
eleven  to  the  police  station,  and  then  went  in  pur- 
suit of  the  other  two.  About  three-quarters  of  a 
mile  from  the  starting  point  I  discovered  one  of 
the  men  whose  escape  had  been  obstructed  by  a 
lot  of  Burmans ;  I  arrested  him,  tied  him  up  and, 
having  made  him  over  to  a  couple  of  constables, 
again  took  up  the  chase  for  the  thirteenth  man. 
I  overtook  him  at  the  highest  point  of  a  bridge, 
where  he  turned  to  make  his  last  stand.  He  was  a 
red-headed  Norwegian,  six  feet  four  inches  and 
one-half  in  height,  and  a  big  muscular  fellow.  I 
could  not  help  but  smile  as  I  ran  up  the  grade  to 


210         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

see  this  giant  with  his  arms  swinging  wildly  over 
his  head  with  a  whisky  bottle  in  one  hand  and  a 
bottle  of  soda  in  the  other. 

Hundreds  of  Burmese  had  followed  me  in  the 
chase ;  the  noise  and  din  that  they  set  up  was  final- 
ly drowned  by  a  sound  that  seemed  like  a  roll  of 
thunder  or  an  explosion.  The  Norwegian  had 
been  lifted  off  his  feet  and  had  struck  on  the  road 
over  the  culvert.  The  report  called  forth  applause 
from  the  crowd. 

The  sequel  to  the  foregoing  adventure  nearly 
lost  me  my  official  head  as  an  Inspector  of  Police. 

The  senior  inspector  who  happened  to  have  been 
out  of  town  at  the  time  the  arrest  was  made,  and 
who  feared  a  reprimand  for  his  absence,  dis- 
patched me  to  make  an  important  gambling  raid, 
saying  that  he  would  attend  to  the  making  up  of 
the  charge  sheets  against  the  thirteen  sailors 
whom  I  had  arrested.  The  following  morning  the 
Deputy  Commissioner  and  District  Magistrate, 
Mr.  St.  Barb,  called  me,  and,  to  my  astonishment, 
asked  me  where  I  had  been  on  the  previous  after- 
noon, and  how  it  was  that  I  had  not  been  present 
to  make  the  arrests  of  the  sailors  charged  with 
murder!  Looking  at  him,  I  asked,  "Have  you 
seen  the  charge  sheets  in  connection  with  the  case 
to  which  you  refer  ? ' ' 

"I  have,"  he  replied,  "they  were  brought  to  me 

this  morning  by  Inspector  B ,  the  arresting 

officer.  You  will  be  called  upon  to  explain  why 
you  were  absent  from  duty  during  a  serious  oc- 
currence of  this  nature. " 

"Very  good,  sir,  my  absence  requires  no  ex- 


'Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

planation.  I,  myself,  arrested  the  thirteen  men 
in  question.  B is  a  liar." 

"How  dare  you  make  such  a  statement.  Inspec- 
tor B—  -  came  to  me  yesterday  immediately  fol- 
lowing the  arrest.  He  was  quite  exhausted  from 
his  terrible  encounter,  so  much  so  that  I  had  to 
give  him  two  or  three  glasses  of  brandy  to  revive 
him." 

At  this  audacious  report  of  Inspector  B I 

could  not  help  but  laugh.  Turning  to  the  Deputy 

Commissioner  again,  I  said:  "Inspector  B 

certainly  got  one  on  me.  Is  it  too  late  for  me  to 
feel  a  little  faint  after  the  encounter  of  yesterday? 
Brandy,  please!" 

With  that  I  left  the  astonished  Deputy  Commis- 
sioner, and,  going  to  the  District  Magistrate's  of- 
fice secured  Inspector  B—  -*s  charge  sheets  in 
which  he  had,  truly  enough,  shown  himself  as  the 
arresting  officer. 

Tearing  them  up,  I  made  out  charge  sheets  in 
the  regular  manner  and  sent  them  over  to  the 
Deputy  Commissioner  for  his  signature,  which  ex- 
plained my  "absence"  from  this  important  duty. 


CHAPTER  XXII 

EPIDEMIC     OF     CHOLEKA — MY     EXPEEIENCE     IN     THE 

CHOLERA  SHEDS — I  GO  TO  SLEEP  WITH  DEAD 

CONVICTS,  VICTIMS  OF  CHOLEKA 

IN  the  month  of  April,  1885,  Mr.  Carapeet,  as- 
sistant superintendent  of  telegraphs,  who  had  been 
on  a  tour  of  inspection,  was  brought  in  from  the 
jungles  suffering  from  cholera.  He  had  been  at- 
tacked two  days  previously  and  had  experienced 
much  difficulty  in  getting  a  boatman  to  bring  him 
down  the  river  to  Bassein.  His  condition  was 
very  serious  when  he  reached  Bassein. 

He  was  placed  in  a  gharry  (cab)  and  driven  to 
the  central  jail  about  noon  in  the  hope  of  finding 
the  civil  surgeon,  who  was  also  superintendent  of 
the  jail.  The  chief  jailer,  Mr.  Henry  H.  Harri- 
son, went  from  the  jail  office  to  the  gharry,  which 
was  outside  of  the  jail.  He  was  horrified  to  find 
Mr.  Carapeet  on  the  floor  of  the  gharry  in  a  help- 
less condition.  He  ordered  the  patient  to  be  driv- 
en at  once  to  the  hospital  about  a  hundred  and 
fifty  yards  away. 

I  was  in  the  District  Magistrate's  Court  prose- 
cuting a  case  for  the  Crown  when  news  of  poor 
Carapeet 's  condition  was  brought  to  me.  I  im- 

212 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  GuelpJi 

mediately  asked  permission  of  the  Court  to  allow 
Inspector  Beal  to  take  charge  of  the  case  in  ques- 
tion, to  which  he  consented.  I  then  hastened  to 
the  hospital  and  remained  with  poor  Carapeet  up 
to  the  time  of  his  death,  three  days  later. 

The  civil  surgeon,  who  was  in  charge  of  the  case, 
did  not  at  any  time  enter  the  ward  to  examine  the 
patient.  He  was  afraid,  he  said,  of  carrying  the 
infection  into  the  town,  which,  being  interpreted, 
meant  to  his  own  precious  carcass.  It  was  this 
inhuman  conduct  and  criminal  neglect  which 
caused  me  to  stay  with  the  patient  to  console  his 
grief-stricken  wife  and  children. 

Cholera  broke  out  in  the  jail  the  evening  that 
Mr.  Carapeet  was  brought  into  the  hospital. 

The  morning  that  I  rendered  my  last  service 
to  my  friend,  that  of  closing  his  eyes  in  death,  I 
was  placed  in  command  of  a  detachment  of  police 
detailed  to  guard  the  two  thousand  prisoners  re- 
moved from  the  jail  to  camp  on  account  of  the 
cholera  epedimic. 

A  bamboo  cholera  shed  about  100x20  was  erect- 
ed at  the  back  of  the  jail  which  it  was  thought 
would  accommodate  all  the  cases. 

This  cholera  shed  was  soon  full,  and  another 
shed  had  to  be  hastily  put  up.  The  daily  average 
number  of  patients  for  nearly  three  weeks  was  two 
hundred  and  fifty  to  three  hundred.  The  medical 
staff  consisted  of  the  medical  officer  of  the  jail, 
and  two  hospital  assistants  (East  Indians).  The 
medical  officer  every  morning  and  evening  "visit- 
ed" the  cholera  sheds,  i.  e.,  came  within  hailing 
distance,  using  his  hands  as  a  megaphone,  inquired 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

the  number  of  patients,  number  of  deaths,  number 
of  "admissions"  and  repeating  his  wise  instruc- 
tions to  keep  up  the  same  treatment,  whatever  that 
might  mean,  took  his  departure  without  having 
run  any  risk  of  contagion! 

Eealizing  that  a  couple  of  native  hospital  assist- 
ants, no  matter  how  proficient  or  how  zealous  to 
duty,  could  not  possibly  cope  with  the  tremendous 
task  evolved  in  the  routine  work  of  admission, 
and  death  reports,  diet,  dispensary,  and  the  thou- 
sand and  one  details  of  a  prison  hospital,  and  at 
the  same  time  give  proper  attention  to  two  or 
three  hundred  cholera  cases  day  and  night,  I  asked 
for  and  obtained  permission  to  place  my  junior 
officer  in  command  of  the  guard,  and  went  into 
the  cholera  sheds  to  render  what  aid  I  could  to 
the  unfortunate  convicts. 

For  a  fortnight  the  epidemic  continued  un- 
abated, and  each  day  the  death  roll  increased. 
Early  in  the  third  week  the  chief  jailor  remarked 
to  me  that  "he  had  enough  of  it."  The  terrible 
strain  of  the  last  fortnight,  day  and  night  duty, 
had,  he  said,  "played  him  out."  He  felt  that 
he  would  himself  t '  fall  a  victim  to  the  epidemic. ' ' 

Mr.  Harrison  was  an  athlete;  a  man  of  strong 
will,  and  weighed  three  hundred  and  twenty 
pounds  or  more.  I  endeavored  to  divert  his  mind 
from  the  melancholy  subject,  and  laughed  at  his 
fears  of  falling  a  victim  of  cholera. 

"Why,"  I  said,  "the  idea  is  absurd,  you  have 
not  time  even  to  think  about  cholera."  Leading 
him  away  from  the  vicinity  of  the  cholera  sheds, 
I  accompanied  him  to  his  quarters  and  entertained 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  GuelpJi 

him  for  half  an  hour  with  stories  and  light  conver- 
sation. I  took  the  precaution  to  give  him  a  glass 
of  brandy  with  a  few  drops  of  spirits  of  camphor 
before  leaving  him  to  return  to  my  duty  about  11 
A.  M. 

That  evening  about  seven  o'clock  a  messenger 
brought  word  to  me  that  Mr.  Harrison,  the  chief 
jailer,  was  down  with  cholera.  I  at  once  went  to 
Harrison's  quarters  and  took  charge  of  his  case. 
About  10  P.  M.  the  civil  surgeon  was  announced. 
As  that  celebrated  physician  appeared  at  the  front 
door  and  inquired  how  the  patient  was  (it  was  not 
his  custom,  as  previously  stated,  to  risk  conta- 
gion), the  patient  said,  "Do  not  let  that  villain 
come  near  me,  he  will  kill  me  as  he  did  poor  Cara- 
peet." 

The  doctor  expressed  his  sympathy  for  Mr. 
Harrison  and  further  remarked  that  he  was  in 
"good  hands."  For  fifty- four  hours  I  remained 
with  my  friend,  leaving  only  at  intervals  to  make 
a  flying  visit  to  the  prisoners'  camp  and  cholera 
shed.  About  2  A.  M.  on  the  third  day  after  Har- 
rison's attack,  I  left  him  sleeping  restfully,  and 
went  to  the  cholera  sheds. 

I  passed  through  the  first  shed,  administering 
medicine  to  the  long  rows  of  patients  and  also 
nourishment.  I  then  passed  into  shed  number 
two,  and  as  I  stood  for  a  moment  and  looked  along 
the  ghastly  rows  of  victims  of  this  terrible 
scourge,  lying  on  either  side  of  the  bamboo  floor, 
so  close  together  that  in  many  cases  the  patients 
were  touching  each  other  and  sometimes  had  to 
be  moved  to  enable  me  to  step  between  them,  I 


216         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

experienced  for  the  first  time,  as  poor  Harrison 
had  explained,  that  I  too  "had  had  enough  of  it." 
The  constant  strain  of  nearly  three  weeks'  duty, 
night  and  day,  spent  almost  entirely  in  the  cholera 
sheds,  without  rest  and  with  but  little  nourish- 
ment, with  the  scene  of  suffering  and  death  that 
beggars  description  ever  before  me,  was  beginning 
to  tell  upon  exhausted  nature.  I  passed  along  the 
shed,  attending  to  the  patients  as  I  had  done  in 
shed  number  one  until  I  reached  the  middle  of  the 
shed. 

There  were  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  cases 
in  the  shed.  I  stepped  between  two  patients  to 
render  them  a  last  service.  I  had  to  move  one 
of  them  slightly  to  enable  me  to  step  between 
them.  Kneeling  on  one  knee  I  remained  for  some 
time  watching  them.  I  began  to  think  of  the  hor- 
rors of  the  past  three  weeks ;  of  the  scores  of  the 
dead  that  had  been  carried  out  from  those  sheds. 
I  tried,  while  watching  the  two  souls  passing  from 
before  my  gaze,  to  total  up  the  whole  number  of 
the  three  weeks'  dead.  My  thoughts  passed  to 
the  Great  Beyond,  and  I  wondered  what  would  be 
the  future  state  of  all  those  convicts  who  had 
died  during  the  epidemic.  I  bent  over  to  close 
down  the  eyelids  of  the  Burman  on  my  right,  a 
convict  no  longer — death  had  released  him. 
"Free — at  last," — I  involuntarily  exclaimed,  and 
I  could  not  help  but  feel  that  the  future  of  that 
patient  Buddhist  held  brighter  prospects  by  far 
than  that  of  some  Christians  I  had  known.  The 
patient  on  my  left  breathed  his  last.  As  I  leaned 
forward  to  render  the  same  service  to  him  as  I 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph         217 

had  to  the  body  on  my  right,  my  reverie  continued, 
—but  in  oblivion — I  had  fainted. 

Exhausted  nature  had  asserted  itself  and  I  was 
"  asleep "  with  the  dead,  my  head  pillowed  on  the 
breast  of  a  former  convict,  a  corpse.  In  this  posi- 
tion I  was  later  discovered  by  the  hospital  assis- 
tant who,  needless  to  say,  was  terribly  alarmed. 
He  called  for  assistance  and  carried  me  from  the 
shed. 

The  chief  jailor  made  rapid  progress,  and  a  few 
days  later  the  inspector-general  of  Prisons,  Sur- 
geon General  Sinclair,  arrived  from  Eangoon  with 
reinforcements  for  the  Medical  Department,  one 
assistant  surgeon  and  four  hospital  assistants; 
also  a  jailor  to  take  up  Mr.  Harrison's  duties. 

News  having  been  brought  to  me  in  the  cholera 
sheds  about  eight  o'clock  one  morning,  that  the 
Inspector  General  and  party  had  arrived  at  the 
jail,  I  proceeded  to  the  jail  office.  On  my  way 
down  in  front  of  the  jail  the  inspector  general  and 
party  were  standing  in  front  of  the  jail  gates. 
When  some  little  distance  away  I  heard  Dr.  Sin- 
clair ask  the  civil  surgeon,  as  he  waved  his  hand 
in  my  direction,  "Who  is  that  gentleman?"  To 
which  the  doctor  replied,  "The  devil,  I  think." 

That  Sinclair  was  in  no  mood  to  tolerate  such 
an  unprofessional  and  ungentlemanly  remark,  was 
shown  by  the  manner  in  which  he  demanded  an 
explanation. 

"What  do  you  mean,  sir?"  he  said  in  no  gentle 
tone.  The  doctor  added,  "A  man  who  can  remain 
three  weeks  in  a  cholera  shed  without  food  or  sleep 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

between  two  corpses  and  still  live  must  be  the  devil 
if  he 's  anything. ' ' 

Sinclair,  giving  his  subordinate  a  withering 
look,  came  forward  and  extending  his  hand,  said, 
"Inspector,  I  am  most  proud  to  meet  you;  and  I 
beg  to  thank  you  in  the  name  of  Her  Majesty,  the 
Queen-Empress,  for  the  service  you  have  ren- 
dered the  Prison  Department  of  which  I  am  the 
Inspector  General.  I  would  like  to  add  that,  if  at 
any  time  you  desire  the  transfer  from  the  police  to 
this  department  I  shall  be  most  proud  to  welcome 
you." 

The  words  of  the  Inspector  General  touched  me 
deeply.  He  did  not  know  how  his  thanks  in  the 
name  of  the  Queen-Empress  affected  me,  and  I 
could  not  help  but  wonder  what  my  grandmother 
would  think  were  she  present  to  see  me  as  I  stood, 
physically  exhausted  from  my  long  watch  over 
her  convict  subjects — natives  of  India. 

I  explained  to  the  Inspector  General  that  I  had 
done  no  more  than  my  duty;  first  as  a  public  ser- 
vant ;  and,  secondly,  as  a  man  to  my  brother  man. 
In  thanking  him  for  his  kind  assurance  of  a  warm 
welcome  to  the  prison  service,  I  explained  that, 
" being  a  police  officer  I  may  find  myself  in  jail 
soon  enough,  as  I  am  of  opinion  that  it  is  the  place 
where  most  policemen  ought  to  be." 


CHAPTER  XXIII 

I  AMUSE  THE  GENERAI/S  DAUGHTERS — DETECTIVE  DUTY 

CHASING  DACOITS A  WILD  DRIVE VISIT  OF 

THE  VICEROY — RANGOON  EN  FETE 
ET  EN  GRANDE  TENUE 

AT  the  close  of  the  shipping  season  I  was  trans- 
ferred to  the  charge  of  the  Cantonment  Division 
in  the  capital  city  of  Eangoon.  The  Cantonment 
Division,  which  included  the  military  and  Euro- 
pean section,  was  the  most  important  charge  in 
the  capital.  My  division  covered  an  extensive  ter- 
ritory outside  of  the  Cantonment  lines.  My  head- 
quarters faced  the  ornamental  public  gardens  and 
was  within  a  hundred  yards  of  the  celebrated 
Shwedagon  Pagoda,  the  place  of  pilgrimage  for 
Buddhists  from  all  countries.  There  was  a  great 
deal  of  crime  in  the  city  of  Eangoon,  and  violent 
crime  increased  from  year  to  year;  not  that  the 
people  of  the  country  were  any  more  dishonest  or 
more  murderously  disposed  after  the  British  oc- 
cupation than  they  were  previous  thereto,  when 
there  were  no  jails,  but  because  of  the  facts  above 
stated.  A  petty  farmer  who  spends  one  thousand 
dollars  to  cultivate  a  crop  of  rice  on  a  few  acres 
of  land,  and  then  is  forced  to  hand  it  over  to  the 
German  miller  for  from  six  hundred  to  eight  hun- 

219 


2£0         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

dred  dollars  soon  finds  himself  tinder  the  necessity 
of  looking  elsewhere  for  the  support  of  himself  and 
family.  He  is  forced  into  crime. 

The  General  commanding  the  Division  of  Ban- 
goon,  whose  bungalow  stood  in  the  center  of  large 
well  kept  grounds,  reported  a  number  of  thefts  of 
plants,  shrubs  and  flowers  from  his  beautiful  gar- 
dens. All  my  efforts  to  trap  the  thieves  proved 
futile  for  some  weeks.  The  General  became  impa- 
tient at  my  apparent  incompetency  as  well  as  that 
of  the  whole  force  under  my  command  and  report- 
ed to  the  Inspector-General  of  Police,  Colonel 
Lowndes,  direct,  thinking  possibly  that  the  Inspec- 
tor-General might,  himself,  watch  the  General's 
precious  shrubs. 

Now  there  was  a  military  guard  of  twelve  men 
and  two  non-commissioned  officers  on  duty  at  the 
General's  house,  and  three  sentries  being  on  duty 
in  the  grounds  from  which  the  plants  were  disap- 
pearing. I  had  previously  suggested  to  the  Gen- 
eral that  I  would  station  one  x>f  my  men  inside  of 
the  grounds  to  catch  the  thief,  and  that  it  was  use- 
less for  me  to  place  a  man  outside  for  the  reason 
that  in  my  opinion  the  thief  or  thieves-  were  none 
other  than  his  own  sentries  or  members  of  his 
guard.  It  was  this  assertion,  I  think,  which  led 
him  to  report  the  matter  to  the  Inspector-General. 
One  evening  when  I  returned  to  my  headquarters 
from  a  raid  on  a  Chinese  illicit  still,  I  found  a  mes- 
sage awaiting  me  from  the  Inspector-General  of 
Police  instructing  me  to  take  such  measures  as  I 
might  think  necessary  to  secure  the  arrest  of  the 
thieves  of  the  General 's  plants.  I  drove  around  to 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

the  police  station  of  the  quarter  in  which  the  Gen- 
eral's  residence  was  located.  I  ordered  a  sergeant 
and  four  men  to  take  up  positions  at  various  points 
in  the  grounds  and  to  remain  in  the  shade,  without 
letting  the  military  sentries  know  of  their  presence 
and  to  remain  so  concealed  while  on  the  lookout 
for  the  plant  thief.  I  then  drove  into  the  com- 
pound up  to  the  General's  house.  My  high  dog- 
cart was  of  a  similar  build  to  that  of  the  General 
commanding  the  Division.  As  I  drove  into  the 
gate  in  the  darkness  of  the  night  I  observed  two 
beautiful  young  ladies,  daughters  of  the  General, 
at  the  window.  Simultaneously  they  cried,  '  '  Papa ! 
papa ! — and,  turning  from  the  window,  ran  down- 
stairs to  greet  their  fond  parent.  As  I  pulled  up 
near  the  house,  they  ran  up  to  me  with  the  excla- 
mation, "  You  dear  old  thing,  you  have  come  home, 
we  are  so  glad." 

Leaping  lightly  from  my  dog-cart  I  stood  before 
them — a  Chinaman!  Before  they  had  recovered 
from  their  astonishment,  extending  a  hand  to  each 
I  said,  "You  little  darlings,  I  am  very  pleased  to 
be  here." 

One  of  them  at  last  found  her  tongue,  and  asked, 
"Whatever  does  this  mean?" 

Explanations  were  soon  forthcoming.  I  had 
been  making  a  call  on  some  Chinese  and  had 
dressed  in  costume  for  the  occasion.  Having  re- 
ceived intimation  on  my  return  to  headquarters 
of  the  renewed  thefts  of  their  beautiful  plants  I 
had  lost  no  time  in  coming  round,  lest,  perchance, 
the  thieves  might  steal  the  two  most  beautiful 
flowers  in  the  garden  during  papa's  absence. 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelpli 

They  were  naturally  interested  in  me  attired  as 
I  was,  and  also  in  my  recent  exploit  among  the 
Chinese.  I  entertained  the  young  ladies  for  some 
time  with  accounts  of  interesting  adventures  of  a 
police  inspector.  We  had  been  thus  engaged  for 
about  twenty  minutes  when  there  was  some  little 
commotion  at  a  point  of  the  grounds  at  the  back 
of  the  house. 

"Whatever  is  the  matter ?"  cried  one  of  the 
young  ladies. 

"Nothing  to  alarm  you,"  I  said;  "some  of  my 
men  have,  I  think,  caught  the  flower  thief." 

The  next  moment  my  sergeant  and  a  couple  of 
men  came  forward  with  one  of  the  General's 
guard,  carrying  a  few  choice  shrubs.  I  had  de- 
clined the  invitation  of  the  young  ladies  to  go  up 
to  the  drawing  room,  as  I  wished  to  be  on  hand  in 
order  to  be  on  the  ground  when  the  thief  was 
caught,  so  as  to  avoid  possible  complications  be- 
tween the  military  guard  and  the  police. 

Most  of  the  missions  and  mission  schools  and 
colleges  are  located  in  the  Cantonment  Division  of 
Eangoon.  To  revise  the  operations  of  these  insti- 
tutions through  the  official  field-glass  of  police  a 
striking  contrast  is  presented  to  the  religious  as- 
pect with  which  the  merely  ordinary  visitor  is 
impressed. 

My  investigations  and  experience  in  various  de- 
partments of  service,  and  in  the  economic  and  so- 
cial affairs  of  Asia,  enabled  me  to  observe  the  dis- 
advantages under  which  the  Christian  missions 
are  laboring,  and  at  the  same  time  to  see  the  weak 
points  in  the  policy  of  the  various  missions 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

operating  in  Asia,  and  the  cause  of  the  great  mis- 
sionary failure  of  which  we  have  heard  so  much. 

In  discussing  the  missionary  question  with  mis- 
sionaries both  at  home  and  abroad  I  am  forced  to 
the  conclusion  that  the  observant  official  is  the 
critic  whose  criticism  should  be  accepted  in  the 
spirit  in  which  it  is  given,  for  the?  purpose  of 
eliminating  such  part  of  the  field  policy  as  is  dis- 
advantageous to  missionary  effort  and  for  the  in- 
troduction o'f  measures  calculated  to  effectively 
advance  the  kingdom  of  God.  This  subject  is 
treated  upon  in  a  later  chapter. 

About  the  month  of  February,  1886,  I  was  sent 
on  special  detective  duty  to  Pyuntaza  in  the  Shweg- 
yien  district,  where  a  band  of  dacoits  had  been 
terrorizing  the  whole  district  for  some  three  years. 
Various  district  superintendents  of  police  had  lost 
their  official  heads  for  having  failed  to  account  for 
this  band  of  a  hundred  desperate  rebels.  On  re- 
ceipt of  telegraphic  communication  that  District 
Superintendent  Porter,  one  of  the  most  experi- 
enced and  efficient  officers  in  the  service,  had  shot 
himself  when  asked  to  explain  why  he  had  failed  to 
answer  for  this  party,  I  was  ordered  to  proceed, 
on  half  an  hour's  notice,  to  take  charge  of  that 
district. 

When  the  Inspector-General  telephoned  to  me 
of  Porter's  suicide,  instructing  me  to  make  over 
charge  of  my  division  and-  meet  him  at  the  station 
in  half  an  hour's  time  to  accompany  him  to  Pyun- 
taza to  take  command  of  an  expedition,  in  which 
military  and  police  alike  had  failed,  I  laughingly 
told  him  that  I  thought  he  had  a  better  opinion  of 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

me.  He  said  I  did  not  seem  to  realize  the  honor 
he  was  conferring  upon  me  by  selecting  me,  the 
junior  inspector  in  the  department,  to  succeed  the 
senior  district  superintendent.  I  assured  him  that 
I  fully  appreciated  the  honor,  but  as  this  partic- 
ular command  had  led  my  predecessors  to  dis- 
grace and  death,  it  would  appear  on  the  face  of  it 
that  he  desired  to  bring  my  career  to  a  speedy  end. 
To  this  he  replied,  "No,  but  I  wish  to  bring  the 
career  of  that  gang  of  rebels  to  a  speedy  end  and 
you  are  the  one  man  to  do  it.  Can  you  get  to  the 
station  in  time  to  meet  the  train!  If  not,  I  will 
order  a  special." 

"I  will  be  there,"  I  answered.  Within  two 
months  from  the  time  I  took  charge  of  this  impor- 
tant post,  the  district  was  clear  of  the  band  of  da- 
coits  in  question. 

I  attributed  the  failure  of  my  predecessors  to 
the  strength  of  their  forces.  There  were  three 
companies  of  infantry  and  about  two  hundred  po- 
lice at  Headquarters,  the  whole  of  which  force  was 
at  their  command.  In  addition  to  this  force  there 
were  some  three  hundred  or  more  police  in  the  va- 
rious towns  and  villages  through  the  district.  As 
the  rebels  had  a  perfect  system  of  scouting,  with 
representatives  throughout  the  district  gaining 
information  of  the  movements  of  the  troops,  while 
the  main  body  kept  to  the  jungles,  turning  up  in 
the  most  unexpected  quarters,  it  was  impossible 
for  the  troops  to  get  near  them.  By  the  time  the 
military  would  arrive  at  the  scene  of  the  last  dep- 
redation in  the  south,  word  would  be  received  of 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

another  town  being  burned  a  hundred  or  more 
miles  north. 

Selecting  two  men,  I  took  train  to  Paungdawthe, 
and  from  there  rode  to  Bawnee,  a  village  of  about 
two  hundred  houses,  where  I  obtained  information 
of  the  rebels.  Notwithstanding  all  the  precautions 
I  had  taken  to.  fo'ol  the  dacoits,  they  were  aware 
of  my  presence  in  Bawne.e,  and  some  weeks  later 
burned  that  village  for  the  purpose  of  intimidating 
the  people  throughout  the  district. 

Hence,  it  will  be  seen  that  it  was  very  difficult  to 
obtain  reliable  information  concerning  the  move- 
ments of  the  dacoits?  and  much  more  so  to  give  evi- 
dence against  them  in  the  villages,  as  it  would 
mean  death  to  the  people  giving  evidence  against 
them. 

I  was  one  day  called  to  headquarters  through  a 
special  courier  from  the  Deputy  Commissioner, 
who  sent  word  that  the  dacoits  were  within  a  few 
miles  of  headquarters,  and  it  was  said  that  they 
would  attack  the  town  that  night.  Poor  Deputy 
Commissioner!  He  had  twenty  European  officers 
and  two  thousand  men  if  he  needed  them  within 
call,  and  yet  he  did  not  feel  competent  to  defend 
the  town  against  an  attack  of  a  handful  of  rebels, 
without  the  assistance  of  myself  and  my  two  men. 
Sending  my  two  men  to  strengthen  the  Bawnee 
station  I  rode  into  Paungdawthe,  a  distance  of  six- 
teen miles,  through  the  jungle,  where  I  arrived 
without  incident  except  that  my  journey  was  ob- 
structed by  a  tiger,  which  resented  being  disturbed 
from  a  nap  on  the  jungle  trail.  Having  no  rifle,  I 


226         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

had  to  negotiate  with  Master  Stripes  for  the  right 
of  way,  in  which  I  was  successful. 

Needless  to  say  that  on  my  arrival  by  train  at 
my  headquarters  in  Pyuntaza  from  Paungdawthe 
investigation  showed  that  the  alarm  was  occa- 
sioned by  a  false  report.  I  again  set  out  for  Baw- 
nee.  On  reaching  a  village  three  miles  from  the 
town  I  learned  that  a  band  of  a  hundred  and  fifty 
men  had  been  seen  about  four  or  five  hours  previ- 
ous on  the  road  to  Bawnee.  I  was  about  to  gallop 
on  to  that  place  when  a  refugee  from  there  ar- 
rived with  the  report  that  Bawnee  had  been  sacked 
and  burned  and  was  still  in  flames. 

I  lost  no  time  in  reaching  the  scene  of  disturb- 
ance. On  arriving  there,  I  found  the  place  desert- 
ed with  the  exception  of  about  half  a  dozen  men 
sitting  in  a  bamboo  shanty  on  the  outskirts  of  the 
town,  which  had  escaped  the  fire.  They  turned  out 
to  be  villagers. 

With  their  aid  I  got  together  some  twenty  vil- 
lagers, which  party,  added  to  my  ten  policemen  of 
the  Bawnee  station,  who  had  discreetly  retired  to 
the  jungles  during  the  occupation  of  the  town  by 
the  rebels,  made  quite  an  imposing  expedition. 

Having  despatched  a  couple  of  couriers  by  dif- 
ferent routes  to  headquarters  with  instructions  to 
have  troops  rushed  to  different  points  north  to  in- 
tercept the  rebels,  I  started  in  pursuit,  and  on  re- 
ceiving my  reinforcements  succeeded  in  breaking 
up  the  band. 

About  a  week  before  I  went  to  Pyuntaza  I  had 
received  a  present  of  a  wild  horse  just  caught  in 
the  Shan  States  in  Upper  Burma.  It  took  two 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

grooms  and  a  few  assistants  from  7.00  A.  M.  to  1.00 
P.  M.  to  bring  the  animal  from  the  steamer  to 
Police  Headquarters  in  Cantonments,  a  distance 
of  about  a  mile  and  a  half.  The  blacksmith  in 
shoeing  the  animal  had  to  throw  him  and  tie  his 
legs.  He  had  never  been  ridden  nor  had  any 
harness  on. 

While  I  was  on  special  dacoit  duty,  the  Viceroy 
and  Governor-General  in  India,  Lord  Dufferin, 
paid  a  visit  to  Burma.  The  evening  previous  to 
his  arrival  in  Kangoon,  I  decided  to  take  a  vacation 
and  run  down  to  Rangoon  to  be  present  at  the  offi- 
cial reception.  I  arrived  at  the  headquarters 
about  half  an  hour  before  the  time  set  for  the  Vice- 
roy to  land.  With  the  exception  of  half  a  dozen 
policemen  the  place  was  deserted;  and  the  only 
horse  in  my  stables  was  the  wild  chestnut.  There 
was  nothing  for  it,  therefore,  but  to  put  him  in 
the  high  dog-cart,  the  only  vehicle  left,  if  I  would 
reach  the  landing  place  on  time.  I  got  him  har- 
nessed and  put  him  in  the  dog-cart,  and  started  on 
the  wildest  drive  of  my  life. 

The  animal  bounded  out  of  the  gate  of  the  sta- 
tion yard,  but  instead  of  turning  to  the  right  down 
the  Godwin  Eoad,  as  I  desired,  he  bolted  through 
the  gate  into  the  public  gardens  to  the  Pagoda 
Eoad,  on  which  runs  a  double  track  steam  tram- 
way, with  large  shade  trees  on  either  side  of  the 
road,  leaving  barely  room  for  a  carriage  drive. 
Here  I  was  successful  in  turning  him  to  the  right, 
possibly  because  the  steam  train  was  coming  from 
the  opposite  direction.  I  made  record  time  in  get- 
ting down  Pagoda  Eoad  and  turned  into  the 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

Strand,  which  was  lined  with  troops  and  crowds 
of  people.  The  road  had  been  cleared  for  the  pro- 
cession. Sergeants  in  charge  of  police  stations  I 
passed  en  route,  being  much  impressed  by  the  pace 
I  was  traveling,  telephoned  to  the  Inspector-Gen- 
eral at  the  landing  place  that  something  very  seri- 
ous had  happened,  as  I  had  arrived  in  town,  and 
was  then  driving  at  a  furious  rate  on  my  way  to 
the  landing  station. 

My  chestnut  and  I  created  quite  a  sensation  all 
along  the  route  of  the  procession.  I  arrived  at  the 
landing  stage  just  as  the  Viceroy  was  landing  at 
the  other  end.  The  Inspector-General  of  Police 
and  other  officials,  instead  of  waiting  to  receive  the 
Viceroy,  had  come  out  to  ascertain  the  cause  of  my 
meteoric  arrival.  Great  excitement  prevailed 
among  the  thousands  of  guests  occupying  the 
chairs  on  the  landing  stage.  As  I  drove  up  the  In- 
spector-General, stepping  forward,  sung  out, 
"What  the  devil  has  happened  1"  I  managed  to 
pull  up  about  thirty  yards  beyond  the  landing 
stage.  Jumping  from  my  dog-cart,  while  a  number 
of  policemen  took  charge  of  my  horse,  I  turned  to 
the  Inspector-General  and  other  officials,  who  had 
followed  me  up,  calling  out,  "What  the  devil  has 
happened!"  "Nothing;  I  have  simply  run  in  to 
pay  my  respects  to  the  Viceroy. ' '  "  Your  respects 

to  the  Viceroy  be  d d,  sir.  Why  the  devil  did 

you  alarm  the  town  by  driving  at  that  break-neck 
speed?" 

I  suggested  that  he  might  "try  my  gentle  beast 
himself"  if  he  thought  he  could  handle  him  better. 
I  then  suggested  that  as  the  Viceroy's  procession 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

was  about  to  start  we  might  invite  His  Excellency 
to  lead  with  my  chestnut. 

This  was  horse-breaking  with  a  vengeance,  and 
after  that  I  could  do  anything  with  him.  He  would 
follow  me  about  like  a  dog,  but,  strange  to  relate 
that  when,  some  four  years  later,  I  presented  my 
favorite  to  a  friend,  no  one  was  ever  able  to  man- 
age him.  He  ran  away  many  times,  causing  nu- 
merous accidents,  and  became  very  vicious. 


CHAPTER  XXIV 

TRANSFERRED  TO  MANDALAY,  I  AM  PLACED  IN  COMMAND 

OF  THE  BURMA  MILITARY  POLICE AMBUSHED  AND 

CAPTURED,  I  SURPRISE  MY  CAPTORS 

I  WAS  transferred  to  Mandalay  about  the  month 
of  June,  1886,  and  assigned  to  duty  as  Senior  In- 
spector in  the  City  of  Mandalay. 

The  officer  of  the  Inspector-General  of  Police, 
Colonel  Lowndes,  was,  like  the  Military  Headquar- 
ters, located  in  the  palace  of  the  deposed  King 
Theebaw.  The  police  headquarters  of  the  Man- 
dalay District  was  located  within  the  city  near  the 
palace  gates.  The  District  Superintendent  of  Po- 
lice, Mr.  Ford,  being  ill,  the  responsibility  of  that 
office  fell  upon  me. 

My  tenure  of  office  as  acting  District  Superin- 
tendent of  the  Civil  Police  was  of  short  duration, 
as  I  was  transferred  to  the  command  of  the  head- 
quarters of  the  Burma  Military  Police,  stationed 
in  the  King's  monasteries  some  three  miles  to  the 
southeast  of  Mandalay. 

The  position  held  by  my  command  was  the  most 
important  in  Mandalay,  being  at  the  extreme  end 
of  the  line  of  troops  garrisoning  the  frontier  un- 
der the  range  of  mountains  running  north  and 
south  the  Yankintoung,  and  the  most  liable  to 
attack. 

230 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

At  the  extreme  northern  end  of  the  line  was  sta- 
tioned the  artillery  and  a  little  further  south  the 
cavalry,  and  about  another  half-mile  further  south 
the  66th  British  Infantry,  while  adjoining  their 
lines  was  stationed  a  regiment  of  Gourkas,  and 
some  six  hundred  yards  to  the  south  the  Police 
Levy,  and  half  a  mile  from  that  post,  the  head- 
quarters of  the  Burma  Military  Policemen,  and  a 
few  hundred  yards  still  further  to  the  south,  an 
outpost  furnished  from  my  command. 

The  Burma  Military  Police  was  composed  of 
officers,  non-commissioned  officers  and  men  from 
the  various  regiments  of  the  Punjab  and  North- 
western Provinces,  the  best  men  that  could  be  se- 
lected from  the  Indian  Army. 

The  Burma  Military  Police  were  drafted  to  ev- 
ery district  throughout  Upper  Burma  and  played 
the  most  important  part  in  the  pacification  of  the 
country.  The  headquarters  at  Mandalay  was  kept 
up  to  the  full  battalion  strength  and  drafted  con- 
tingents to  the  interior  as  reinforcements  arrived 
from  India.  The  work  entailed  in  thus  constantly 
receiving  and  drafting  troops,  added  to  the  drills 
and  instruction  of  troops  to  raise  their  efficiency 
to  meet  the  requirements  of  the  changed  condi- 
tions, and  general  military  duties,  was  enormous. 

The  responsibility  of  this  command  was  greater 
than  that  of  any  regiment  in  Upper  Burma,  and 
called  for  the  appointment  of  a  colonel  with  full 
complement  of  field  officers,  a  fact  to  which  I,  on 
more  than  one  occasion,  called  the  attention  of  the 
Inspector-General  of  Police  and  the  General  com- 
manding the  forces.  I  also  pointed  out  that  I  only 


Memoins  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

held  the  rank  of  inspector  of  police,  while  a  num- 
ber of  British  officers  attached  to  my  command 
were  my  superiors  in  rank. 

In  reply  to  these  objections  raised  by  me  the  In- 
spector-General has  often  assured  me  that  I  was 
the  only  man  in  Burma  best  qualified  for  that  par- 
ticular command,  and  that  I  should  be  promoted  on 
the  first  vacancy.  I  was  repeatedly  thanked  by  the 
General  commanding  the  forces  in  Burma  and  the 
Inspector-General  of  Police  for  the  high  efficiency 
of  the  military  police  and  for  the  expeditious  man- 
ner in  which  the  efficiency  of  the  troops  was  raised 
and  transferred  throughout  the  country,  without  a 
single  mishap. 

When  it  is  understood  that  hardly  a  night  passed 
that  the  sentries  of  the  different  commands  along 
the  line  and  the  patrols  were  not  fired  upon,  and, 
that  all  patrols  from  all  parts  of  Mandalay,  north, 
east,  south  and  west,  had  to  report  at  my  head- 
quarters, some  idea  of  the  difficulty  of  my  position 
may  be  comprehended. 

It  was  my  custom  to  go  about  the  country  at  all 
hours  of  the  day  or  night  unarmed  and  without 
escort. 

One  evening  on  my  return  from  the  palace  I 
called  in  at  the  officers'  mess  of  the  66th  Regiment, 
where  I  remained  for  dinner.  After  dinner  one  of 
my  inspectors,  De  la  Taste,  came  into  the  mess 
and  we  remained  for  some  time. 

We  were  riding  quietly  on  our  way  home,  when 
we  heard  firing  at  our  headquarters.  Putting 
spurs  to  our  horses  we  galloped  off,  expecting  that 
we  were  in  for  a  little  fun.  About  three  hundred 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph         £33 

yards  from  our  headquarters  a  small  wooden 
bridge  crossed  the  road.  As  we  were  going  along 
at  full  speed,  neck  to  neck,  De  la  Taste's  charger 
made  a  jump  at  the  bridge,  and  the  last  I  saw  of 
De  la  Taste  he  was  turning  somersaults  in  the  air 
and  landed  on  his  back  clear  over  the  bridge.  I 
could  not  stop  to  pick  him  up,  but  on  reaching  my 
command,  I  sent  an  escort  to  carry  him  in.  He 
was  not  much  the  worse  for  the  experience.  The 
firing  had  been  occasioned  by  a  small  party  of  the 
evening  having  crept  up  to  the  walls  and  fired  on 
some  of  my  sentries.  They  made  off  under  cover 
of  darkness,  and  no  trace  of  them  could  be  found. 

When  riding  back  to  my  quarters  from  the  66th 
officers7  mess  one  night  shortly  after  midnight,  en- 
joying the  cool  night  air  and  in  no  hurry  to  reach 
my  destination,  I  was  suddenly  surprised  by  eight 
armed  men  springing  out  from  the  darkness  on 
either  side  of  the  road,  four  of  them  seizing  my 
horse's  head,  the  other  four  coming  up  on  either 
side  of  my  saddle.  They  politely  informed  me  that 
they  would  take  charge  of  my  horse  and  my  per- 
son. Thanking  them  for  the  courtesy  I  told  them 
that  I  thought  my  horse  was  well  able  to  take 
charge  of  himself,  while  as  for  me  if  I  desired 
company  I  preferred  to  choose  my  own. 

My  apparent  indifference  to  my  changed  situa- 
tion had  the  desired  effect.  The  bump  of  humor 
is  very  strongly  developed  in  the  Burman,  and  you 
may  save  your  hide  every  time  by  appealing  to 
their  humor,  in  that  you  gain  time  by  the  joke. 

They  laughed  but  persisted  in  trying  to  impress 
upon  me  that  neither  my  horse  nor  I  had  any 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelpfi 

choice  in  the  matter.  I  told  them  that  I  thought 
we  had,  and  asked  them  to  get  the  opinion  of  the 
horse  on  the  subject. 

This  amused  them  a  great  deal,  but  as  there  was 
no  time  to  lose,  they  said,  that  as  they  did  not  un- 
derstand horse  language,  we  would  have  to  move 
on,  and  raised  their  dlias  (swords)  menacingly  and 
prepared  to  lead  my  horse. 

I  was,  as  usual,  unarmed — a  hunting  crop  being 
my  only  weapon.  I  told  my  captors  that  a  perfect 
understanding  existed  between  me  and  my  horse 
and  that  we  both  protested  against  their  interfer- 
ence, and  therefore  requested  that  they  would  take 
their  departure.  As  they  failed  to  do  this  I  brought 
my  hunting  crop  into  play  about  their  heads,  while 
a  touch  of  the  spur  to  my  horse  shook  off  the  rebels 
like  so  many  grasshoppers.  The  yells  set  up  by 
the  fellows  rolling  on  the  ground  brought  an  officer 
and  escort  from  the  guard  of  the  Gourka  Regiment 
to  the  scene.  Making  known  my  identity  as  the 
party  approached,  I  instructed  the  officer  to  pick 
up  the  half  dozen  who  had  fallen  under  the  hammer 
of  my  hunting  crop,  and  if  possible  to  catch  the 
two  who  had  taken  to  their  heels. 

The  officer  wished  to  send  an  escort  with  me  to 
my  headquarters,  but  I  declined,  preferring  to  fin- 
ish the  journey  as  I  had  commenced,  alone. 

I  have  stated  above  that  the  Inspector-General, 
Colonel  Lowndes,  had  promised  me  promotion  to 
a  rank  suited  to  my  command  on  the  first  vacancy. 
Unfortunately  Colonel  Lowndes  was  relieved  by 
Mr.  W.  W.  Daly  before  a  vacancy  occurred. 

Mr.  Daly  came  from  the  Northwestern  Prov- 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph        235 

inces,  and,  judging  from  the  number  of  half-castes 
he  brought  from  the  Northwest  and  appointed  as 
inspectors  and  assistants  to  superintendents  of  po- 
lice, he  must  have  had  a  large  acquaintance  among 
native  and  Eurasian  women  of  the  Northwest 
Provinces. 

These  young  half-castes  were  as  ignorant  of  the 
duties  of  a  police  inspector  as  they  were  of  the 
language  and  of  the  customs  and  manners  of  the 
people  of  Burma. 

Colonel  Lowndes,  on  being  relieved  by  Daly,  in- 
formed him  in  my  presence  that  I  was  slated  for 
the  first  assistant  superintendentship  vacant.  Not- 
withstanding this  specific  instruction,  Daly  created 
half  a  dozen  vacancies  for  half-caste  bastards  from 
the  Punjab  and  took  every  opportunity  to  insult 
me  and  to  make  things  as  unpleasant  as  possible. 

I  demanded  to  be  relieved  from  my  military 
command  and  to  be  returned  to  the  civil  police,  to 
which  I  belonged.  To  this  Daly  would  not  agree. 
He  took  the  position  that  he  had  no  one  fitted  to 
take  my  place.  Having  become  thoroughly  dis- 
gusted with  his  attitude  toward  me,  I  told  him 
that  he  could  send  to  the  Northwest  for  another 
of  his  half-caste  bastards  to  put  in  my  place  and 
that  I  intended  to  resign.  I  told  him  that  the  ap- 
pointments made  by  him  and  the  mess  he  was  mak- 
ing of  the  Department  generally  showed  that  he 
was  no  more  qualified  for  the  important  office  of 
Inspector-General  than  was  any  one  of  his  ap- 
pointees. I  also  told  him  that  he  would  be  ousted 
from  that  office  within  a  year  and  that  he  had  bet- 


236         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

ter  keep  his  family  at  home  in  the  Northwest,  to 
save  traveling  expenses. 

My  straight  talk  to  Mr.  Daly  was  rewarded  by  a 
manifestation  of  vindictiveness  and  hatred  such  as 
I  had  never  witnessed. 

Shortly  after  the  above  scene  a  charge  was 
trumped  up  against  me  which  was  so  preposterous 
on  the  face  of  it  that  it  was  at  once  thrown  out. 
Indeed,  had  there  been  any  foundation  for  it  every 
British  officer,  civil  and  military,  would  have  been 
equally  liable,  not  excepting  Daly  himself. 

I  resigned  from  the  Police  Department  and  took 
a  vacation.  My  superior  officer,  Inspector-General 
Daly,  was  removed  from  the  Department  and  sent 
back  to  the  Northwestern  Provinces  within  the 
year,  as  I  had  predicted. 


CHAPTER  XXV 

I  ENTER  THE  PRISON  SERVICE — I  SUPERSEDE  MY  SUPE- 
RIORS— INNOVATION  IN  PRISON  ADMINISTRATION — 
— A  STUDY  OF  CRIMINOLOGY — THE  PRACTICAL 
APPLICATION       OF       PHYSIOLOGICAL-PSY- 
CHOLOGY   TO    ABNORMAL    DATA    AS 
FOUND  IN  THE  INCORRIGIBLE 
CRIMINAL 

ON  returning  to  Rangoon  in  1887,  I  called  on 
the  Inspector-General  of  Prisons,  Dr.  Sinclair,  and 
explained  that  I  would  be  pleased  to  avail  myself 
of  his  invitation  to  join  the  Prison  Service.  He 
said  there  was  only  one  vacancy  in  the  Depart- 
ment and  that  was  for  a  warder  in  the  Rangoon 
Central  Jail.  I  told  him  the  wardership  was  good 
enough  for  me ;  that  I  wanted  to  get  into  jail  any 
way,  and  that  I  might  as  well  be  there  as  a  warder 
as  in  any  other  capacity. 

Dr.  Sinclair  gave  me  a  letter  to  the  superintend- 
ent of  the  jail  and  suggested  that  I  should  present 
it  at  once,  which  I  did. 

The  superintendent,  who  was  a  stranger  to  me, 
on  looking  me  over,  said,  "I  am  sorry,  but  there 
is  no  vacancy  in  this  jail." 

"But,"  I  replied,  "the  Inspector-General  told 
me  that  there  is  a  vacancy.  "Well,"  said  the 

237 


238         Memoirs   of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

superintendent,  "  there  are  many  applicants  for 
the  appointment,  and  you  are  too  delicate  for  the 
duties  of  a  warder.  I  can  not  appoint  you." 

Thanking  him  for  the  information  about  my 
delicate  constitution,  I  wished  him  "good  morn- 
ing." 

As  I  left  the  jail  I  met  the  Inspector-General 
approaching  in  his  dog-cart.  He  pulled  up,  say- 
ing, ' ' Where  are  you  going T '  "To  the  nursery, ' ' 
I  replied.  "To  what! — To  the  nursery!"  he  ex- 
claimed. 

"Yes,"  I  said,  "the  superintendent  thinks  I'm 
too  delicate  to  be  allowed  out  alone." 

The  Inspector-General  laughed  and  asked  me  to 
return  to  the  office.  The  Inspector-General  in- 
structed the  superintendent  to  appoint  me  to  the 
vacancy.  The  superintendent  protested  declaring 
that  I  was  too  delicate,  and  that  as  he  was  respon- 
sible for  the  jail  he  had  a  right  to  select  his  own 
staff  and  he  wanted  men  of  muscular  strength,  men 
of  vigor  and  energy. 

Sinclair  laughed  at  him,  and  said, '  '  Do  you  know 
this  gentleman?  Perhaps  you  have  heard  of  an 
Inspector  of  Police  who  arrested,  single-handed, 
thirteen  European  sailors  who  were  all  armed 
while  the  inspector  was  unarmed.  You  may  have 
heard  of  the  cholera  epidemic  in  the  Bassein  jail 
between  two  and  three  years  ago  and  of  an  inspec- 
tor of  police  who  voluntarily  served  in  the  cholera 
sheds  for  three  weeks  practically  without  food  and 
without  rest;  the  man  who  saved  Harrison's  life 
and  who  did  more  through  that  epidemic  than  the 
whole  medical  staff  put  together.  You  may  have 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

heard  of  the  inspector  who  was  sent  to  take  the 
place  of  the  district  superintendent,  Mr.  Porter, 
who  shot  himself  in  Shwegien,  and  who  went  in 
pursuit  of  a  hundred  armed  rebels,  and  broke  up 
their  band — the  inspector  of  police  who  has  been 
looked  upon  by  European  and  natives  as  a  "holy 
terror,' — a  man  who  has  no  fears,  and  who  never 
failed.  This  is  the  inspector  to  whom  I  refer — 
the  man  whom  you  say  is  too  delicate  to  be  trusted 
to  the  charge  of  convicts.  I  will  undertake  to  say 
that  if  you  have  an  outbreak  in  this  jail  among 
the  five  thousand  convicts,  this  delicate  individual 
will  be  the  man  to  suppress  it.  He  is  appointed  to 
the  position. " 

Eleven  months  after  joining  the  prison  service 
I  was  promoted  to  the  office  of  deputy  jailer  of 
Kangoon,  superseding  the  jailers,  deputy  jailers 
of  the  various  jails  throughout  the  country,  an 
honor  which  came  as  a  complete  surprise  to  me. 
Hitherto  I  had  had  charge  of  about  three  thousand 
five  hundred  convicts  employed  in  the  various 
work  sheds  at  all  manner  of  trades,  where  I  was 
responsible  for  the  quality  of  the  work  turned  out. 

I  will  enumerate  a  few  of  the  works  under  my 
supervision.  Eeceiving  raw  cotton,  ginning,  spin- 
ning, warping,  looming  and  weaving  into  fabrics 
and  finally  converting  the  fabrics  into  clothes,  was 
one  line  of  industry. 

I  had  over  three  hundred  looms  in  operation  all 
the  year  round.  I  not  only  made  all  the  clothing 
for  our  family  of  five  thousand  convicts,  but  fur- 
nished a  lot  of  cloth  for  our  salesmen. 

There  was  the  saw-yard  in  which  logs  of  teak 


S40         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelpli 

and  other  timber  were  converted  into  lumber  of 
various  descriptions.  More  than  a  thousand  men 
were  employed  as  carpenters,  cabinet  makers, 
polishers,  upholsterers,  coach  builders,  turners  and 
wood  carvers. 

Every  conceivable  description  of  household  fur- 
niture; dog-carts  and  vehicles  of  all  kinds  were 
manufactured.  Cane  and  bamboo  were  converted 
into  every  conceivable  description  of  rattan  and 
bamboo  furniture,  baskets  and  bric-a-brac,  mats 
and  screens. 

The  husk  or  outer  shell  of  the  cocoanut  was  con- 
verted into  coir  and  from  that  into  cocoanut  mat- 
ting, door-mats,  screens,  rope,  and  a  hundred  and 
one  other  articles  of  utility. 

Some  two  hundred  men  were  employed  in  the 
blacksmith  shop  and  foundry ;  and  about  two  hun- 
dred in  the  flour  mills  and  as  many  more  in  the  oil 
mills.  To  supervise  these  varied  manufactures 
and  to  be  responsible  for  the  quality  of  the  work 
of  three  thousand  men  and  the  prompt  fulfilment 
of  outside  orders  was  a  Herculean  task,  but  in 
addition  to  all  this  I  was  responsible  for  the  dis- 
cipline and  the  general  supervision  of  all  the  con- 
victs, and  the  placing  of  them  at  the  various  tasks. 

A  work  of  many  volumes  would  be  necessary 
to  portray  or  recount  in  detail  the  many  valuable 
and  interesting  features  of  the  administration  of 
the  jails  with  which  I  was  connected  and  the  vari- 
ous reforms  I  introduced. 

I  can  not  do  more  than  barely  touch  upon  this 
important  subject  by  relating  a  few  incidents  of 
my  five  years'  service. 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

When  I  first  entered  the  prison  service  I  was 
struck  with  the  large  number  of  convicts  wearing 
short  fetters  and  cross-bar  and  "bad  character" 
clothing. 

One  man  known  as  "Long  John"  was  confined 
in  the  ' '  strong  shed, ' '  and  was  never  allowed  with 
other  convicts. 

Originally  sentenced  to  six  months'  vigorous  im- 
prisonment for  an  alleged  assault,  Long  John,  in 
1887,  had  served  eighteen  years  and  had  about 
eight  years  unexpired  portion  of  his  sentence  to 
serve. 

Long  John  belonged  to  one  of  the  leading  Bur- 
mese families.  The  disgrace  of  the  imprisonment 
and  the  greater  disgrace  of  having  had  his  beauti- 
ful long  hair  cut  turned  this  man  against  the  Brit- 
ish. He  declared  there  was  no  ground  for  the  of- 
fence for  which  he  had  been  punished ;  a  mere  al- 
tercation between  himself  and  another  man. 

Eesenting  the  injustice  of  his  first  sentence  and 
disgrace,  he  assaulted  every  English  official  who 
came  within  his  reach.  For  these  offences  he  had 
been  tried  and  sentenced  from  time  to  time,  thus 
adding  about  twenty-eight  years  to  his  original 
sentence  of  six  months. 

For  several  years  no  British  official  had  gone 
near  him,  and  I  was  cautioned  against  entering 
his  place  of  confinement. 

On  the  occasion  of  my  first  official  visit  to  him, 
I  ordered  the  turnkey  to  unlock  the  door  of  the 
prisoner's  strongshed.  This  done  I  left  my  order- 
ly outside  and  entered  alone. 

Going  up  to  the  convict  I  took  hold  of  his  history 


242        Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

ticket,  which  is  attached  to  an  iron  ring  around  his 
neck.  After  observing  the  date  of  his  sentence, 
and  sections  of  the  penal  code  under  which  he  had 
been  tried,  I  looked  into  the  astonished  man's  eyes, 
saying,  "You  appear  to  have  been  mistaken  for  a 
wild  beast;  hereafter  you  will  be  looked  upon 
and  trusted  as  a  man.  I  am  going  to  have 
those  short  fetters  and  cross-bar  removed,  and  this 
striped  (bad  character)  clothing  changed  for  or- 
dinary clothing,  then  I  shall  send  you  from  this 
cage  to  work  in  the  workshops.  I  shall  look  for- 
ward to  entering  up  your  remission  marks  every 
week,  and  to  making  you  a  warder  as  soon  as  you 
have  earned  the  marks." 

Firmness  tempered  with  kindness  saved  Long 
John,  and  in  due  time  restored  him  to  his  family 
a  respected  member  of  society. 

Cha  Gyi  (the  great  tiger)  was  an  appropriate 
name  for  a  convict  who  was  scarred  like  a  chess 
board  from  the  crown  of  his  head  to  his  feet 
with  sword  wounds.  The  most  notorious  criminal 
and  convict  ever  incarcerated  in  the  Eangoon  Cen- 
tral jail.  Cha  Gyi  was  an  old  offender,  having 
served  several  terms  of  penal  servitude.  He  was 
kept  constantly  in  short  fetters  and  cross  bar  (a 
.ourteen  inch  triangle  of  three-quarter  inch  iron  at- 
tached to  ankle  rings).  He  was  flogged  about  once 
a  month  for  a  long  time  for  offences  against  jail 
rules,  and  was  kept  where  he  could  harm  nobody. 

I  removed  his  fetters  and  put  him  in  the  carpen- 
ter 's  shop  to  work. 

In  order  to  create  the  psychological  impression 
desired,  I  gave  Cha  Gyi  an  adze  (the  most  danger- 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelpk 

ous  weapon  possible  in  the  hands  of  a  desperate 
criminal)  to  knock  off  the  knots  of  a  log,  as  the 
work  for  which  he  was  best  suited.  I  visited  the 
work  shop  unarmed  and  unattended,  turned  my 
back  to  Cha  Gyi's  adze  and  in  this  way  turned  the 
greatest  criminal  into  a  man,  who  subsequently  be- 
came my  trusted  orderly  and  bodyguard. 

The  innovation  in  the  administration  of  the  jail 
by  the  substitution  of  the  application  of  physiolo- 
gical-psychology for  corporal  punishment,  short 
fetters  and  cross-bars,  resulted  in  better  discipline, 
better  work  and  a  pleasanter  atmosphere  within 
the  prison  walls. 


CHAPTER  XXVI 

PRISON  REFORMS  WHICH  AFFECT  THE  JUDICIAL  DEPART- 
MENT AND  PUT  A  STOP  TO  WHOLESALE 
EXECUTIONS 

FOLLOWING  the  close  of  the  last  Burma  war  a 
large  number  of  Burmans  who  still  resisted  British 
rule,  were  arrested  and  tried  under  the  penal  code 
with  the  result  that  several  thousand  prisoners 
were  sentenced  to  long  terms  of  imprisonment  and 
penal  servitude  and  wholesale  executions  were  car- 
ried out  at  the  Central  jails. 

In  the  Eangoon  Central  jail  the  forty  cells  for 
condemned  prisoners  were  kept  occupied  for  many 
months  and  executions  were  of  almost  daily  occur- 
rence. It  frequently  happened  that  four  men 
would  be  executed  together,  to  be  followed  by  four 
more  the  next  morning.  It  was,  in  fact,  a  rare  oc- 
currence in  those  days  that  a  single  execution  took 
place,  the  date  set  for  the  execution  of  two,  three 
or  four  men  being  more  frequently  the  same. 

The  executions  were  carried  out  at  five  o'clock 
under  the  direction  of  the  superintendent  of  the 
jail,  the  chief  jailer,  assistant  jailers  and  ward- 
ers and  the  medical  staff  being  present. 

Notwithstanding  the  large  number  of  executions, 
the  system  of  hanging  was  barbarous  to  a  degree. 

244 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

The  executions  were  carried  out  by  a  native  con- 
vict and  it  was  no  uncommon  thing  for  a  condemn- 
ed man  to  have  the  rope  around  his  neck  for  fifteen 
or  twenty  minutes  before  the  trap  was  sprung. 
There  was  no  excuse  for  this  torture. 

One  morning  we  had  four  men  to  be  executed 
together.  The  condemned  men  were  paraded  at 
the  foot  of  the  gallows.  The  superintendent  read 
the  warrant  of  the  first  man  in  the  usual  manner, 
and  asked  if  he  had  anything  to  say.  He  had  not. 
He  was  then  taken  to  the  gallows,  the  rope  was 
placed  about  his  neck,  his  arms  and  legs  strapped. 
In  the  meantime  the  superintendent  was  going 
through  the  formality  of  reading  the  warrants  of 
the  other  prisoners  who  were  handed  over  in  suc- 
cession to  the  executioner.  The  third  and  fourth 
men  had  statements  to  make,  which  were  taken 
down.  The  torture  of  mind  of  numbers  one  and 
two  as  they  stood  on  the  gallows,  pinioned,  with 
the  rope  around  their  necks,  and  the  cap  drawn 
over  their  heads,  during  these  formalities  and 
statements  may  be  better  imagined  than  described. 

When  the  executions  were  over,  I  turned  to  the 
superintendent,  Dr.  MacDonald,  and  said,  "Doc- 
tor, this  sort  of  thing  has  to  stop." 

He  turned  on  me  in  astonishment;  and  well  he 
might  at  the  insubordinate  nature  of  my  remark. 

"What  the  devil  do  you  mean?"  he  asked. 

"I  mean,  sir,  that  the  first  man  you  sent  to  the 
gallows  stood  there  with  the  rope  about  his  neck 
for  twenty-two  minutes  before  you  gave  the  signal 
for  the  drop.  Imagine  yourself  in  that  man's 
place.  You  would  need  the  rope  to  support  you." 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

To  this  explosion  of  just  indignation  the  super- 
intendent replied, l '  I  carried  out  the  executions  as 
expeditiously  as  possible.  Could  you  have  done 
better  ?" 

"  I  could,  "I  replied. 

"Then,"  said  he,  "there  are  four  more  men  to 
be  executed  to-morrow  morning.  Will  you,  sir, 
superintend  those  executions  1 ' ' 

"I  will,"  I  replied. 

"Very  good,  it  is  understood  that  you  will  take 
charge  of  the  executions  to-morrow  morning," 
whereupon  he  turned  on  his  heel  and  left  in  no 
pleasant  mood. 

The  following  morning  the  prison  staff  gathered 
to  witness  the  executions  as  usual.  The  prisoners 
were  brought  out.  The  superintendent  on  being 
handed  the  warrants  of  the  four  condemned  men 
looked  at  me  and  said,  "Are  you  ready!" 

"Yes,  sir,  I  am  ready,"  I  replied. 

I  had  myself  tested  the  ropes  and  carefully  ad- 
justed the  length  of  the  drop  for  each  of  the  con- 
demned men  according  to  height  and  weight. 

The  warrant  of  the  first  man  having  been  read, 
the  superintendent,  turning  to  me,  said,  "Take 
this  prisoner." 

I  instructed  the  prisoner  to  step  forward.  The 
superintendent  therefore  said,  "Take  this  pris- 
oner on  the  gallows. ' ' 

"How  many  men  are  to  be  executed  this  morn- 
ing?" I  demanded. 

"Four,  sir,"  roared  the  superintendent. 

"At  what  hour  are  the  other  three  to  be  execut- 
ed?" I  asked. 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

"They  are  all  to  be  executed  together/'  said 
the  superintendent. 

"Very  good,"  I  replied,  "When  you  have  made 
over  the  four  condemned  men  I  will  attend  to  my 
duty;  you  attend  to  yours." 

"Take  that  man  to  the  gallows,"  again  thun- 
dered the  superintendent. 

"I  am  responsible  for  the  executions,"  I  replied, 
"perform  your  own  duty,  sir,  and  leave  me  to 
mine.  If  you  wish  this  man  to  be  executed  sepa- 
rately I  will  have  the  execution  carried  out ;  but,  if 
the  four  men  are  to  be  executed  together,  they 
will  go  on  the  gallows  together." 

The  superintendent  was  furious,  but  proceeded 
with  the  reading  of  the  warrants.  When  the  four 
condemned  men  had  been  handed  over  to  me,  I  had 
them  escorted  onto  the  gallows.  They  were  pinion- 
ed and  the  ropes  and  caps  adjusted  by  the  men  I 
had  detailed  for  that  duty,  and  the  trap  was  sprung 
within  ten  seconds  from  the  time  the  condemned 
men  reached  the  gallows.  The  executions  were  a 
complete  success  from  a  humane  standpoint,  the 
neck  being  broken  in  each  case. 

The  superintendent  was  very  much  pleased  and 
congratulated  me  for  my  persistency  in  regard  to 
the  manner  of  conducting  the  executions.  Need- 
less to  say  the  reform  thus  introduced  was  there- 
after observed  in  the  Eangoon  Central  prison. 

For  some  months  I  had  been  studying  ways  and 
means  to  put  a  stop  to  these  unjust  and  wholesale 
executions. 

This  was  a  difficult  matter  as,  in  my  official 
capacity  as  the  deputy  jailer,  I  could  not  in  any 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

way  interfere  with  the  judicial  department  or  with 
the  jurisdiction  of  the  Supreme  Court  or  the  local 
government.  At  length  an  unexpected  opportunity 
presented  itself.  A  Burmese  boy,  in  his  sixteenth 
year,  who  had  been  sentenced  to  serve  seven  years 
of  penal  servitude  under  sections  395  and  396  of  the 
Indian  Penal  Code,  for  dacoity  and  murder,  ap- 
pealed to  the  Supreme  Court  against  the  sentence. 

A  brief  outline  of  this  case  will  illustrate  how 
many  of  the  unfortunate  men  executed  were  vic- 
tims of  injustice. 

The  military  authorities  having  received  infor- 
mation that  a  band  of  rebels  contemplated  an  at- 
tack upon  a  village  in  Upper  Burma  at  a  given 
time,  an  expedition  was  sent  for  the  purpose  of 
protecting  the  village. 

The  rebels  attacked  the  village  only  a  few  min- 
utes before  the  arrival  of  the  troops;  they  were, 
in  fact,  sacking  the  place  when  the  troops  arrived 
on  the  scene.  The  villagers  had  abandoned  their 
homes  on  the  approach  of  the  rebels  and  had  taken 
to  the  jungle.  The  rebels  in  turn  ran  from  the 
troops,  who  pursued  them  through  the  jungle. 
The  villagers,  frightened  by  the  fire  of  the  troops, 
ran  in  all  directions.  It  was  impossible  to  dis- 
tinguish between  rebels  and  villagers.  The  boy 
above  referred  to,  who  belonged  to  the  village,  was 
shot  through  the  thigh  and  was  the  only  person 
captured.  As  he  was  running  away  it  was  con- 
cluded that  he  was  a  rebel  and  was  accordingly 
sent  up  for  trial,  convicted  and  sentenced  as  stated 
to  serve  seven  years  penal  servitude. 

The  day  that  his  appeal  was  brought  before  the 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph         £49 

Appellate  Court,  the  chief  jailer  was  on  duty  in 
the  evening  and  received  the  prisoners  from  court. 

The  following  morning  I  visited  the  condemned 
cells  at  ahout  six  o'clock. 

On  entering  the  corridor  I  was  astounded  to  see 
the  boy  in  question  in  cell  No.  1.  Taking  his  his- 
tory ticket,  I  noticed  that  the  Appellate  Court  had 
confirmed  the  finding  of  the  Lower  Court,  but  had 
enhanced  the  sentence  from  seven  years  to — death ! 

"Why  are  you  here,"  I  asked  in  Burmese. 

"Cho  hpa  lo  bai"  (to  be  hanged),  replied  the 
youth. 

"You  were  sentenced  to  seven  years,"  I  said. 
"How  is  it  you  are  now  sentenced  to  death  I" 

"I  was  not  guilty  of  the  crime  for  which  I  was 
sentenced  to  seven  years,  so  I  appealed  to  the  Su- 
preme Court  hoping  that  I  would  be  released,  but 
I  am  to  be  hanged  instead." 

"You  must  appeal  to  the  Chief  Commissioner," 
I  told  him. 

The  youth  smiled  sadly  as  he  said,  "I  am  to  be 
hanged  in  three  weeks'  time  as  the  result  of  my  ap- 
peal. If  I  appeal  to  the  Chief  Commissioner,  he 
would  probably  have  me  hanged  at  once.  My 
counsel  wants  me  to  appeal  again  but  my  parents 
think  I  am  right  in  wishing  to  live  as  long  as  I 
can.  So  if  I  do  not  appeal  again  I  shall  live  three 
weeks  longer." 

"If  you  will  appeal  to  the  Chief  Commissioner," 
I  said, '  ( the  finding  and  sentence  of  the  courts  will 
be  set  aside  and  you  will  be  discharged." 

I  could  not  prevail  upon  the  boy  to  appeal  as 
I  advised,  but  I  determined  that  that  boy's  life 


£50         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

should  not  be  sacrificed  in  this  manner.  I  told  him 
that  he  should  "not  be  hanged."  I  then  passed 
on  my  rounds,  and  found  that  six  other  prisoners 
whose  appeals  had  also  been  heard  the  day  pre- 
viously, had  had  their  sentences  enhanced  from 
various  terms  of  years  to  capital  punishment. 
Here  was  a  pretty  state  of  affairs ;  seven  men  who 
had  appealed  against  what  were  undoubtedly  un- 
just sentences,  as  in  the  case  of  the  boy,  instead 
of  receiving  clemency  were  to  be  railroaded  to  the 
gallows. 

The  following  morning  the  Rangoon  Gazette 
and  the  London  Times  published  a  full  account  of 
the  gross  miscarriage  of  justice  against  these  seven 
condemned  prisoners.  At  7.30  A.  M.  when  in  the 
main  jail,  I  heard  a  great  commotion  in  the  office 
of  the  superintendent.  A  few  moments  later  the 
big  gates  leading  into  the  main  jail  swung  open, 
and  the  Chief  Commissioner  with  his  staff  and  the 
superintendent  of  the  jail,  Dr.  Davis,  and  the  chief 
jailer  appeared  in  sight.  It  was  evident  that  some- 
thing very  serious  had  happened,  for  the  Chief 
Commissioner  was  talking  in  a  most  excited  man- 
ner. I  expected  to  see  the  party  turn  to  the  left 
to  go  to  the  condemned  cells,  but  they  came  directly 
up  to  the  main  jail. 

Approaching  the  party  I  paid  my  respects  to  the 
Chief  Commissioner.  The  superintendent  of  the 
jail,  falling  a  little  to  the  rear  of  the  Chief  Com- 
missioner, said  to  me,  sotto-voce,  "Where  are  those 
men?" 

"What  men?"  I  innocently  inquired. 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  GuelpH         251 

"Ah,  I  forgot;  you  have  only  just  joined  us,  the 
men  sentenced  to  death  I  mean." 

"The  men  sentenced  to  death?  Why  there  are 
forty  of  them  in  the  condemned  cells,"  I  said. 
"Which  of  them  do  you  mean?"  For  once  in  my 
service  I  appeared  to  not  comprehend.  The  Chief 
Commissioner,  having  heard  the  last  remark,  turn- 
ed abruptly  and  said  severely,  "I  want  the  seven 
men  whose  sentences  have  been  enhanced  from  im- 
prisonment to  death." 

"Very  good,  Your  Excellency,  the  men  are  in 
the  condemned  cells;  I  shall  be  pleased  to  hand 
them  over  to  your  orders." 

On  discovery  that  he  had  been  brought  out  of  his 
way,  and  had  to  retrace  his  steps,  he  was  more 
furious  than  before  and  I  could  not  help  thinking 
that  the  cablegram  he  had  received  from  London 
must  have  called  him  down  very  severely. 

Leading  the  way  to  the  condemned  cells  I  escort- 
ed the  party  to  the  cell  door  of  the  boy,  and,  point- 
ing to  him  said, ' '  This,  Your  Excellency,  is  the  first 
man,  whose  sentence  was  enhanced  from  seven 
years  to  death." 

The  Chief  Commissioner  was  staggered. 

"This!"  he  ejaculated,  "Why  he  is  a  mere 
child!" 

After  having  asked  the  boy  his  name,  age, 
charge,  and  original  sentence,  the  Chief  Commis- 
sioner said,  "Sentence  of  death  is  set  aside,  the 
original  sentence  to  stand." 

The  death  sentence  in  the  other  six  cases  was 
set  aside  in  the  same  manner,  after  which  the  party 


*252        Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

proceeded  to  the  office  of  the  superintendent  of  the 
jail. 

The  Chief  Commissioner  at  once  took  up  the 
investigation.  Some  jail  official,  he  said,  had  com- 
mitted a  breach  of  prison  rules  by  giving  informa- 
tion to  the  special  representative  of  the  London 
Times  and  to  the  local  press.  The  offender  must 
be  found  out  and  summarily  dismissed  from  the 
service. 

The  superintendent  got  out  of  an  awkward  hole 
by  shouldering  the  responsibility  of  the  investiga- 
tion on  me.  He  reminded  the  Chief  Commissioner 
that  I  was  the  "celebrated  detective "  and  that  I 
could  no  doubt  bring  the  offender  to  justice. 
"Just  the  man,"  said  the  Chief  Commissioner, 
and  addressing  me,  "if  you  find  the  guilty  man  you 
shall  be  promoted  immediately  upon  securing  con- 
viction against  him." 

"I  thank  you,  sir,  for  your  promise  of  reward, " 
I  said,  "what  is  my  promotion?  I  am  the  official 
who  gave  the  information  of  the  cases  in  question 
to  the  press." 

Had  I  struck  the  Chief  Commissioner  in  the  face, 
he  could  not  have  been  more  surprised. 

In  reply  to  his  torrent  of  questions  as  to  why  I 
had  not  reported  the  matter  to  him  instead  of  go- 
ing to  the  press,  I  told  him  that  as  the  red  tape 
in  the  judicial  department  had  become  so  terribly 
tangledl  that  the  whole  department  had  apparently 
run  wild,  it  would  have  been  impossible  for  me  to 
unravel  it  to  enable  me  to  place  these  cases  before 
him.  My  only  course  of  action  was  through  Lon- 
don. The  cables  were  very  convenient  for  the  ad- 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph         253 

justment  of  such  a  miscarriage  of  justice  at  short 
notice.  I  further  explained  that  my  object  in  hav- 
ing given  publicity  to  these  cases  was  not  merely 
to  save  the  lives  of  the  seven  unfortunate  men 
whose  death  sentence  he  had  set  aside,  but  to  put 
a  stop  to  the  wholesale  executions  which  had  been 
going  on  for  a  year  or  more,  the  majority  of 
which  men  were  in  my  opinion  as  much  the  vic- 
tims of  injustice  as  the  "mere  child "  whose  death 
sentence  had  just  been  set  aside. 

The  Chief  Commissioner  said  that  my  audacious 
remarks  reflecting  on  the  courts  of  justice  amazed 
him. 

To  this  I  retorted  that  my  remarks  could  not 
amaze  him  more  than  the  gross  miscarriage  of 
justice,  the  report  of  which  to  London  had  brought 
him  there,  had  amazed  the  British  public,  and  un- 
less steps  were  taken  to  stop  the  wholesale  execu- 
tions, it  was  my  intention  to  make  a  full  report  on 
the  matter  to  Her  Majesty  the  Queen-Empress. 

The  number  of  executions  from  that  time  mater- 
ially decreased.  I  had  gained  my  end  at  the  risk 
of  my  own  liberty,  but  I  was  not  tried  or  dismissed 
for  my  offense,  nor,  did  I  get  the  promised  pro- 
motion. 


CHAPTER  XXVII 

AN  OUTBREAK  AMONG  CONVICTS — WARDERS  KILLED  AND 

WOUNDED,   OTHERS   MAKE   THEIR  ESCAPE 1  RUN 

TO  THEIR  ASSISTANCE  AND  FIND  MYSELF  UN- 
ARMED AND  UNSUPPORTED  BEFORE  TWO 
THOUSAND  ARMED  CONVICTS 

THE  Rangoon  Central  Jail  opened  at  5.30  A.  M. 
The  convicts,  numbering  from  four  thousand  to 
five  thousand,  were  marched  to  their  respective 
work-yards  by  six  o'clock.  About  three  thousand 
men  were  employed  in  what  is  termed  the  i  '  round 
house,"  which  is  constructed  on  the  plan  of  a  huge 
wheel,  the  hub  being  the  office  of  the  assistant 
jailer  in  charge  and  work-shop  at  the  same  time. 
Shoemakers  and  tailors  were  on  the  ground  floor 
on  which  the  office  was  located,  a  store-room  and 
lookout  tower  being  above.  The  spokes  were  rep- 
resented by  twenty-one  work-sheds,  with  from  one 
hundred  to  two  hundred  convicts  in  each.  About 
another  thousand  men  in  adjoining  work-yards 
were  engaged  as  sawyers,  carpenters,  coach-build- 
ers and  blacksmiths. 

At  8  A.  M.  the  convicts  were  marched  to  the 
main  jail  for  breakfast;  at  nine  A.  M.  work  was 
again  started. 

One  morning  as  the  last  gang  of  convicts  had 

254 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph         255 

reached  the  round-house,  and  before  being  locked 
up  they  attacked  the  warders  and  seizing  the  keys, 
unlocked  a  number  of  the  other  work-sheds,  and 
the  gate  leading  to  the  adjoining  work-yard. 

After  having  killed,  wounded  and  routed  every 
prison  official,  they  proceeded  to  the  adjoining 
work-yard  where  they  were  reinforced  by  the  con- 
victs employed  there  and  the  bad  characters  on 
the  treadmill,  at  least  one  thousand  men  more, 
making  between  two  and  three  thousand  mutineers 
in  all. 

At  the  time  the  alarm  was  sounded  the  chief 
jailer,  Mr.  Harrison,  and  I  were  in  the  jail  office, 
over  which  the  jail  guard  of  about  two  hundred 
men  is  located.  Hastily  telling  Harrison  to  wait 
and  take  charge  of  the  guard  and  to  surround  the 
jail  walls,  I  ran  in  to  the  round-house  to  take 
charge  of  the  staff  there. 

The  round-house  was  situated  about  two  hun- 
dred yards  from  the  jail  office.  It  was  an  easy 
matter  to  cover  the  distance  when  once  I  had  pass- 
ed through  the  two  main  gates,  but  on  reaching 
the  outer  gate  of  the  work-yard,  the  turnkey  of 
which  was  on  the  inside  of  the  wall,  I  had  some 
difficulty  in  getting  the  gate  opened.  Again,  on 
reaching  the  gate  of  the  round-house  work-yard, 
which  was  also  locked  on  the  inside,  it  was  not  until 
a  convict  warder,  who  had  not  joined  in  the  out- 
break, found  the  bunch  of  keys  left  by  the  muti- 
neers to  unlock  the  gate,  that  I  could  gain  admis- 
sion. On  entering  this  gate  I  stumbled  over  the 
body  of  a  warder  who  had  been  struck  down  while 
attempting  to  escape.  A  few  yards  from  his  body 


256         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

was  the  body  of  another  man.  The  convict  warder 
who  had  unlocked  the  gate  for  me,  told  me  that  the 
convicts  had  all  gone  to  the  treadmill  and  carpen- 
ter shop.  The  big  gates  were  standing  wide  open, 
and  I  at  once  ran  to  the  treadmill  side.  I  found  the 
large  gates  of  the  carpenter  shop  thrown  wide 
open.  Pandemonium  reigned  supreme  through 
the  four  large  sheds,  constructed  in  the  form  of  a 
square  without  partitions  and  in  the  courtyard  in 
which  the  saw-yard  was  located. 

There  were  upwards  of  two  thousand  convicts 
armed  with  legs  of  tables,  chairs,  bedsteads,  bars 
of  iron,  adzes,  axes  and  other  weapons  secured 
from  the  carpenter  and  blacksmith  shops. 

There  was  nothing  between  them  and  freedom 
but  an  open  square  and  the  jail  wall  which  could 
be  easily  scaled  with  or  without  the  aid  of  carpen- 
ters '  benches,  planks,  and  other  articles  which 
were  plentiful  in  the  workshops.  Had  the  rush 
been  made,  a  great  number  of  them  would  un- 
doubtedly have  made  good  their  escape  before  the 
military  could  have  been  got  on  the  ground  to 
support  the  jail  guard.  Instead  of  finding  my 
assistant  jailers  and  European  warders  and  In- 
dian staff  as  I  had  expected,  there  was  not  a  free 
man  to  be  seen.  The  only  European  warder  left 
in  the  work-yard,  whom  I  later  discovered,  was 
Warder  Doyle,  who,  having  been  injured  in  the 
leg,  had  taken  refuge  under  the  large  platform 
on  which  the  tailors  worked,  in  the  round-house 
tower  building. 

As  I  entered  the  gate  of  the  carpenter  shop,  un- 
armed and  having  not  so  much  as  a  hat  to  protect 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph         257 

my  head  from  the  axes,  sledge-hammers,  table 
legs,  etc.,  the  ring  leaders  were  calling  loudly  for 
the  dash  for  liberty.  It  was  an  impressive  sight 
to  see  this  mob  of  excited  convicts  brandishing 
their  promiscuous  array  of  weapons  in  the  air 
and  every  one  yelling,  like  so  many  demons. 

There  was  no  time  for  thought.  A  moment's 
hesitation  would  have  been  fatal  to  John  De 
Guelph.  Standing  inside  of  the  centre  of  the  gate- 
way where  I  commanded  full  view  of  two  sides 
of  the  square,  I  raised  my  right  hand  and  in  a 
word  of  command,  cultivated  in  the  army,  I  called 
for— "Silence!" 

My  sudden  appearance  on  the  scene  took  them 
by  complete  surprise,  and  the  roar  of  my  voice 
produced  a  magic  effect.  "Within  a  few  seconds 
not  a  voice  was  heard  but  my  own.  Calling  upon 
one  of  the  mutinous  convict  warders  I  ordered  him 
to  " close  and  lock  the  gates,"  which  he  did. 

I  roundly  lectured  the  desperate  convicts  for 
their  fool-hardiness  and  by  way  of  emphasizing 
my  remarks  pointed  to  the  locked  gates  and  told 
them  how  impossible  it  was  for  them  to  escape.  I 
then  seated  myself  at  the  desk  of  the  assistant 
jailer,  who  had  disappeared  from  his  post,  and, 
calling  for  all  the  convict  warders  ordered  them  to 
get  the  men  of  their  respective  gangs  together, 
and  to  march  them  back  to  their  work. 

Order  had  thus  been  restored,  I  had  segregated 
the  ringleaders  of  the  outbreak,  and  had  formed 
a  large  part  of  the  mob  into  gangs,  when  the  su- 
perintendent of  the  jail,  Dr.  Davis,  and  the  chief 
jailer,  Mr.  Harrison,  with  a  part  of  the  jail  guard 


258         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

arrived  on  the  scene,  by  way  of  the  female  part 
of  the  jail. 

The  superintendent  was  so  much  affected  by 
the  shock  that  he  had  to  drop  into  a  chair;  as  he 
did  so  he  placed  his  revolvers  on  the  desk  at  which 
I  was  seated.  Taking  up  the  revolvers  I  threw 
out  the  cartridges  before  the  astonished  convicts, 
to  show  them  that  I  needed  no  weapons  to  control 
them. 

A  number  of  the  ringleaders  were  subsequent- 
ly sent  up  for  trial,  some  were  hanged  for  murder 
and  others  received  additional  sentences.  A  large 
number  of  those  implicated  in  the  outbreak  were 
put  to  stone  breaking  in  the  round-house  for 
punishment. 

Superintendent    and   Leading    Officials    of   Jail 

Caught  Like  Rats  in  a  Trap — Their 

Massacre  Opportunely  Averted. 

The  day  following  the  jail-break  a  council  was 
held  in  the  office  of  the  round-house  for  the  pur- 
pose of  considering  ways  and  means  to  better  pre- 
vent jail-breaks. 

The  superintendent,  chief  jailer,  myself,  two 
assistant  jailers,  and  four  or  five  European  ward- 
ers were  present  at  the  conference.  The  superin- 
tendent was  seated  at  the  head  of  the  table,  and 
the  other  officials  were  mostly  standing  around  the 
table.  I  was  standing  with  my  hand  upon  the  back 
of  the  superintendent's  chair  with  my  back  to 
the  open  door  of  the  round-house  tower  building. 


'Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph         259 

My  hat  was  on  a  shelf  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
large  table,  and  I  was,  as  usual,  unarmed. 

We  had  been  discussing  the  situation  about  fif- 
teen minutes,  when  a  tremendous  shout  rang  out 
from  the  stone  shed  in  which  many  of  the  muti- 
neers of  the  previous  day  were  undergoing  their 
punishment.  The  door  of  the  stone  shed  is  im- 
mediately facing  the  door  of  the  tower-house  and 
only  six  paces  distant.  The  stone  shed  was  a 
skeleton  frame,  as  most  of  the  work-sheds  were. 
The  door  was  supported  by  two  hinges,  which 
were  old  and  none  too  secure. 

A  good  blow  with  a  sledge  hammer  from  the 
inside  would  be  sufficient  to  break  them  down. 
The  door  was  secured  by  a  bolt  and  padlock. 

The  shout— "Toung— Hta  e'!  Toung  Hta  e'! 
(break  jail, "  "  Thatt  lik !  Thatt  lik !  (pronounced 
thot,  i.  e.  kill,  kill)  brought  us  to  our  feet. 

Instantly  the  yell  was  taken  up  and  about  three 
hundred  sledge  hammers  and  huge  granite  stones 
were  pounding  against  the  door  and  the  scantlings 
of  the  shed. 

Turning  on  my  heel  I  stepped  over  to  the  stone- 
shed.  The  hinges  were  already  loosened.  Seizing 
the  turnkey,  who  had  started  to  run  away,  I  pulled 
him  back  and  ordered  him  to  unlock  the  gate.  He 
being  too  excited  and  frightened,  I  seized  the  keys 
and  removed  the  padlock,  which  I  handed  to  the 
turnkey  with  the  orders  to  close  and  lock  the  gate 
the  moment  I  was  inside.  Shooting  back  the  bolt, 
I  threw  open  the  door  and,  stepping  inside,  press- 
ed back  the  leading  convicts  whose  sledge  ham- 
mers were  raised  over  my  head.  The  gate  was 


260        Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

closed  and  locked  behind  me.  Raising  my  voice 
so  that  it  could  be  heard  above  the  yelling  and  din 
of  three  hundred  hammers,  I  ordered  the  convicts 
to  "fall  in,  in  the  centre  walk." 

Order  was  instantly  restored  and  the  would-be 
assassins  were  once  more  conquered.  After  hav- 
ing put  them  through  a  little  drill,  I  marched  them 
to  their  respective  stone  boxes  where  work  was 
resumed.  I  then  walked  up  and  down  between  the 
rows  of  stone  boxes.  Work  had  been  resumed 
about  ten  minutes  when  the  guard,  having  arrived, 
the  superintendent  and  chief  jailer  came  into  the 
stone  breaking  shed  under  strong  escort.  As  I 
saw  them  enter,  I  gave  the  order  to  their  guard, — 
"Eight  about,  turn!"  and  sent  them  out  of  the 
sheds.  The  superintendent  remonstrated  with  me 
for  what  he  was  pleased  to  term  my  fool-hardi- 
ness" in  rushing  headlong  into  such  danger,  un- 
armed. 

Placing  my  hand  on  the  gate  of  the  shed  I  raised 
the  gate  up  and  down,  saying  as  I  did  so,  "The 
lives  of  our  whole  party  depended  upon  my  ac- 
tion. Two  seconds  more  and  we  would  have  been 
in  the  clutches  of  this  murderous  mob." 

On  returning  to  the  office  from  the  first  out- 
break, the  ludicrousness  of  the  part  just  played 
by  me  in  this  jail  tragedy  presented  itself. 

I  had  rushed  to  the  support  of  my  brave  men 
only  to  find  that  such  of  them  who  had  not  been 
killed  or  wounded,  had  made  their  escape,  thereby 
leaving  me  to  face  the  situation  alone.  I  could 
not  refrain  from  indulging  in  the  following  im- 
promptu lines  for  which  I  hope  to  be  excused. 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph         261 
THE  JAIL-BREAK. 

As  the  prisoners  were  returning 

From  breakfast  to  their  work, 
The  alarm  was  loudly  ringing, 

'Twas  heard  beyond  the  kirk. 

A  row !    A  row !    What  is  it  now? 

A-chin-tha-toung  hta  dai 

(A  jail  outbreak  of  convicts) 
Take  up  your  staff,  contract  your  brow 

And  level  pair  by  pair. 

I  saw  they'd  killed  a  Gemadar, 

And  smashed  another's  head, 
While  poor  old  Doyle  is  hidden  far 

Inside  the  tailor's  shed. 

I  missed  poor  Murphy  from  the  fun, 

And  feared  for  him  the  more, 
But  soon  I  learned  that  he  had  run 
Slap  bang  right  through  the  door. 

The  gallant  Jersey  buck  has  gone, 

The  boast  of  all  the  jail; 
Was  ever  such  a  coward  born, 

Or  cur  so  soon  turn  tail! 

The  row!    The  row!    Where  is  it  now? 

4 ' They've  gone  the  treadmill  side," 
Where,  when  I  reached  I  made  a  vow 

To  stem  that  convict  tide. 

Athirst  for  blood  and  freedom, 

Two  thousand  men  or  more, 
Like  Milton's  Pandemonium, 

I  conquer  'd  by  a  roar. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII 

TEANSFEEEED  TO  BASSEIN IN   THE  POWEE  OF  ASSAS- 
SINS— I  ESTABLISH  SCHOOLS 1  VISIT  THE 

MALAY  PENINSULA 

IN  1889,  the  former  deputy  jailer,  having  been 
reinstated,  I  was  transferred  to  Bassein  as  deputy 
jailer. 

My  advent  in  Bassein  was  anything  but  pleasing 
to  the  jailer,  Mr.  Bell,  who  had  previously  run 
foul  of  some  of  my  reform  measures  in  the  Ran- 
goon Central,  and  who  was  one  of  the  officials  I 
had  superseded.  This  gentleman's  freedom  of 
action,  like  his  perquisites,  was  somewhat  cur- 
tailed during  my  incumbency. 

Both  in  the  Rangoon  and  Bassein  Central  jails 
the  convicts  manifested  a  great  deal  of  respect 
to  me  for  my  policy,  as  is  shown  in  the  fact  that 
almost  every  prisoner  discharged  from  the  jail 
would  wait  sometimes  all  day  for  the  opportunity 
to  thank  me  for  the  humane  reforms  I  had  intro- 
duced and  to  wish  me  good-bye. 

With  the  exception  of  one  occasion  I  never  ex- 
perienced any  danger  from  going  about  the  jails 
unarmed  and  even  without  a  stick,  notwithstand- 
ing that  I  had  been  warned  a  thousand  times  that 

262 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph         265 

I  took  my  life  in  my  hands  every  time  I  entered 
the  jail  without  a  weapon  of  defense. 

In  the  central  tower  of  the  main  jail  at  Bassein 
about  two  hundred  lifers  were  kept  at  work  on  the 
second  floor  weaving  dunnage  mats.  These  men 
were  too  dangerous  to  be  sent  to  the  work-yards. 
The  central  tower  was  in  view  of  the  prison  guard 
stationed  over  the  jail  offices  about  a  hundred 
yards  away. 

The  circular  floor  on  which  the  lifers  worked 
was  divided  in  two  halves ;  there  being  four  doors, 
two  at  one  side  and  two  on  the  other,  thus  leaving 
two  small  passage  ways  at  the  divisions  of  the 
half -circles. 

It  was  my  general  custom  to  visit  the  central 
tower  about  9.30  A.  M. 

No  tools  whatever  were  necessary  in  their  work. 
The  bamboo  shavings,  about  two  feet  in  length, 
was  the  only  thing  used  by  them  with  which  to 
weave  their  mats.  The  only  danger  to  be  antici- 
pated, therefore,  was  by  common  assault  by  the 
convicts  in  either  one  or  the  other  half-circles. 

One  morning  about  seven  o'clock  I  had  an  im- 
pression that  something  was  wrong  in  the  central 
tower.  I  scented  trouble  in  the  air,  and  proceeded 
to  investigate.  Accompanied  by  my  convict  order- 
ly I  went  upstairs.  On  reaching  the  passage  way 
between  the  two  doors,  I  discovered  that  there  was 
good  reason  for  my  impression.  As  the  convicts 
looked  up  and  saw  me,  a  low  spontaneous  murmur 
broke  out,  for  which  I  severely  reproved  them.  I 
knew  there  was  trouble  in  one  or  the  other  side 


264*         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

of  the  circle.  I  also  knew  that  violence  was  con- 
templated against  my  own  person. 

In  describing  this  room  I  omitted  to  state  that 
a  circular  hollow  tower,  about  thirty  feet  in  diame- 
ter went  up  through  the  center  from  the  ground 
to  the  top  of  the  building,  which  made  two  com- 
plete rooms  of  the  outer  part  of  the  circle  around 
the  tower.  There  were  two  rows  or  semi-circles, 
of  convicts ;  one  lot  sitting  with  their  backs  to  the 
central  tower,  and  the  other  lot  facing  them  with 
their  backs  to  the  outer  wall. 

Ordering  the  turnkey  to  unlock  the  gate  on  my 
right,  I  proceeded  with  my  inspection  of  the  right 
half,  the  circular  construction  of  which  prevented 
my  seeing  more  than  a  portion  of  it  at  once. 
There  was  some  murmuring  in  front  of  me,  and 
excited  talk  among  the  convicts  on  the  left  half  of 
the  building.  I  critically  inspected  the  work  of 
every  man  and  spent  an  unusually  long  time  on  my 
rounds.  At  length  I  reached  the  first  gate  of  the 
division  of  rooms.  The  fight  was  evidently  in 
front  of  me.  The  turnkey,  standing  between  the 
two  gates,  said,  "You  had  better  return  the  way 
you  came  or  turn  in  an  alarm,  there  is  trouble  in 
there." 

Ignoring  his  warning  I  ordered  him  to  unlock 
the  door  in  front  of  me;  I  was  determined  to  go 
through  it.  As  I  entered  the  second  room  a  fur- 
ther mutinous  murmur  greeted  me.  Standing  be- 
tween the  two  rows  of  convicts  I  roundly  berated 
them  for  their  mutinous  conduct. 

I  passed  around  more  slowly  than  I  had  done  in 
the  first  room  and  booked  more  men  for  punish- 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph         £65 

ment.  I  had  finally  got  to  the  middle  of  this  part 
of  the  circle  and  could  now  see  to  the  end  of  the 
room.  The  intended  attack  upon  me  must  come 
soon,  and  I  was  looking  for  it.  My  only  safety  lay 
in  giving  them  plenty  of  time — time  alone  would 
enable  me  to  locate  the  ringleader,  the  villain  to 
lead  the  murderous  assault. 

I  had  started  on  the  last  quarter  of  the  circle. 
Was  the  danger  ahead  of  me  or  in  my  rear?  It 
was  certainly  very  close,  and  it  was  greater  by 
reason  of  the  fact  that  the  construction  of  the 
room  made  it  impossible  for  me  to  see  all  the  con- 
victs and  that  I  had  not  the  room  for  action  that 
the  straight  sheds  afforded. 

I  gained  a  point  at  which  only  ten  men  were  in 
front  of  me  on  my  right,  and  eight  on  my  left.  I 
took  one  more  step,  when  I  was  rewarded  for  the 
"waiting  game"  I  had  played.  The  second  con- 
vict from  me  on  my  right  shuffled  forward,  under 
the  pretext  of  doing  something  to  the  front  part  of 
the  mat  which  he  had  nearly  completed.  This 
brought  him  three  feet  from  his  original  position 
and  close  up  to  the  pathway  by  which  I  must  pass 
him. 

The  object  of  his  move  was  apparent — to  throw 
himself  upon  me  as  I  passed,  to  seize  me  by  the 
legs  and  throw  me  backwards  would  be  the  work 
of  a  second.  The  rest  would  be  easy.  It  subse- 
quently transpired  that  I  was  right  in  my  hasty 
conclusion.  The  convict  had  been  selected  to  start 
the  attack  in  this  manner  on  account  of  his  weight 
and  strength  and  for  the  further  reason  that  he 
was  a  past-master  in  the  art  of  murder.  He 


£66         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

weighed  two  hundred  and  seventy-eight  pounds 
and  was  one  of  the  most  dangerous  convicts  in  the 
country.  Seeing  his  movement,  I  knew  that  I  was 
then  standing  in  the  middle  of  would-be  assassins. 

In  front  of  me,  behind  me,  and  on  either  side  of 
me,  desperate  convicts  were  squatting,  and  only 
awaited  the  signal  to  set  about  their  ghastly  work 
of  converting  my  head  into  mince-meat. 

The  time  for  action  had  arrived  and  a  second's 
delay  would  have  meant  immediate  death  to  me. 
I  thoroughly  understood  the  character  and  fiend- 
ish purpose  of  my  foes.  I  had  seen  British  offi- 
cers mutilated  and  their  heads  and  quarters  sus- 
pended from  different  trees,  and  only  a  short  time 
previously  the  jailer  of  the  Akyab  jail  had  been 
assassinated  and  his  head  chopped  up  with  chisels. 

Stepping  forward  to  within  one  pace  of  the  con- 
vict awaiting  me,  and  fixing  my  eyes  upon  him, 
while,  with  the  index  finger  of  my  right  hand  I 
pointed  to  his  place  by  the  wall,  I  said  severely, 
"Back!"  Absolute  silence  prevailed  throughout 
the  building.  The  tension  of  the  few  seconds  that 
followed  was  very  great.  Quietly  I  stood,  my  eyes 
riveted  on  those  of  my  giant  foe,  and  my  fore- 
finger still  pointing  to  the  spot  to  which  I  had  com- 
manded him  to  move. 

At  last!  His  eyes  fell  before  my  gaze.  He 
moved  back  to  the  wall.  But  still  I  remained.  The 
task  of  subduing  this  monster  of  iniquity  and  his 
companions  in  crime  must  be  thoroughly  accom- 
plished once  for  all.  For  fully  five  minutes  I  stood 
there  and  denounced  him  and  his  companions  in 
the  most  scathing  terms.  Finally  I  passed  on,  and 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph         267 

on  reaching  the  door  I  again  turned  and  stood  for 
a  few  minutes  facing  the  assassins  from  whose 
power  I  had  just  escaped  so  providentially. 

I  then  ordered  the  turnkey  to  open  the  gate  and 
went  down  stairs  for  the  purpose  of  securing  the 
assistance  of  some  other  officials  to  search  the  con- 
victs for  the  concealed  weapons  which  I  knew  they 
possessed. 

As  I  stepped  from  the  building  a  second-class 
convict  warder  came  running  from  the  direction 
of  the  work-yards. 

He  was  too  exhausted  to  do  more  than  fall  at 
my  feet,  and  put  his  arms  about  my  legs  and  said, 
"Sir,  sir — do  not  go!"  He  had  seen  me  in  the 
doorway  of  the  central  tower,  and  thought  I  was 
about  to  go  up  stairs  on  my  inspection.  For  an 
hour  this  fellow  had  been  running  from  one  part 
of  the  jail  to  another  to  warn  me  of  my  danger. 

Telling  him  to  rest  himself  until  he  could  speak, 
I  sat  down  to  await  his  report.  When  rested,  he 
said,  "Sir,  do  not  go  up  to  the  central  tower. 
You  are  to  be  murdered  this  morning  on  your  first 
visit.  A  number  of  chisels  have  been  smuggled  in 
to  the  convicts  in  the  bundles  of  bamboo  shavings. 
There  are  more  than  twenty  lifers  in  the  plot. 
The  big  fellow  sitting  under  the  window  on  the 
left  hand  side  is  to  lead  the  murderous  assault. " 

Thanking  him  for  his  loyalty  and  faithfulness, 
I  told  him  that  I  had  just  been  round  the  central 
tower  and  knew  that  what  he  had  told  me  was 
true,  but  that  the  murder  had  not  come  off. 

I  then  proceeded  to  make  arrangements  for  the 
search.  At  this  moment  I  saw  Mr.  Bell,  the  jailer, 


£68         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

hurrying  to  the  main  jail  from  the  office.  When 
he  reached  me,  I  said,  "You  are  just  in  time,  Mr. 
Bell/' 

"Why,  what  is  the  matter?"  said  Bell.  "Have 
you  been  attacked?" 

"Why  should  you  think  I  had  been  attacked? 
Are  violent  assaults  on  prison  officials  of  daily 
occurrence  ? ' ' 

Mr.  Bell  was  much  confused,  and  stammered 
out,  "I  thought — perhaps — there  had  been  an  as- 
sault made  on  you." 

"Why  should  you  have  thought  so,  Mr.  Bell? 
Everything  is  quiet  here.  I  am  about  to  make  a 
search  in  the  central  tower  and  would  like  to  have 
you  accompany  me." 

"For  concealed  weapons?"  said  Mr.  Bell  ex- 
citedly. 

"Why  concealed  weapons,  Mr.  Bell?  Have  you 
ever  had  occasion  to  search  for  concealed  wea- 
pons? Tobacco,  opium  and  money  are  the  things 
for  which  search  is  generally  made.  However, 
please  lead  the  way." 

With  two  sergeants  and  my  convict  orderly 
whom  I  armed  with  a  baton,  the  party  proceeded 
upstairs,  Mr.  Bell  being  in  the  lead. 

It  is  significant  that  the  jailer  did  not  so  much 
as  look  to  the  room  on  the  right  but  turned  at 
once  to  the  door  on  the  left  and  looked  directly 
at  the  convict  who  had  been  detailed  to  lead  the 
attack  upon  me. 

On  entering  the  room,  I  told  the  jailer  to  super- 
intend the  search  of  the  ward  and  I  would  attend 
personally  to  the  convicts. 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph         269 

My  search  of  the  convicts  resulted  in  the  dis- 
covery of  charms  sewn  in  their  clothing.  The 
charms  were  supposed  to  give  them  power  over 
their  enemy  and  to  protect  them  from  injury. 

Twelve  convicts  had  twelve  inch  spike  nails, 
ground  up  like  chisels,  in  their  possession.  Eigh- 
teen men  were  implicated  in  the  murder  plot.  The 
convicts  were  taken  before  the  superintendent 
and  sentenced  to  be  flogged,  each  man  received 
thirty  lashes,  was  put  in  short  fetters  and  cross 
bars,  and  bad  character  clothing,  and  placed  in 
separate  confinement. 

A  fortnight  later  the  superintendent,  Dr.  Dal- 
ziel  was  transferred  and  Mr.  Bell  at  once  recom- 
mended that  the  short  fetters  and  cross  bars  be 
removed  from  my  assailants,  stating  that  the  men 
had  committed  no  offence. 

Not  one  of  the  convicts  implicated  in  the  mur- 
der plot  had  any  personal  grievance  against  me. 
On  the  other  hand  I  had  crippled  the  tobacco  and 
opium  trade  carried  on  at  a  good  profit  by  cer- 
tain officials.  I  had  also  caused  a  reduction  of 
about  fifty  per  cent,  in  the  contractors'  monthly 
bill  for  bamboos  supplied  to  the  jail. 

For  two  years  the  superintendent  had  been  re- 
peatedly called  upon  to  explain  the  cause  of  heavy 
expenditure  for  bamboos  as  compared  with  the 
number  of  dunnage  mats  made. 

He  had  made  many  tests  to  see  how  many  mats 
could  be  obtained  from  a  given  number  of  bam- 
boo. The  result  of  all  tests  was  satisfactory,  but 
the  monthly  output  of  mats  fell  fifty  per  cent, 
short  of  the  tests. 


270         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelpk 

The  explanation  was  simple.  The  tests  were 
genuine,  while  there  was  a  miscalculation  in  the 
number  of  bamboos  used  each  month,  by  which 
the  department  was  paying  for  about  double  the 
number  actually  received. 

On  my  return  from  leave  of  absence  ten  days 
prior  to  the  attempt  on  my  life,  I  was  told  that 
it  had  been  said  that  I  "  would  be  carried  out  of 
the  jail  feet  first  within  a  fortnight"  of  my  re- 
turn to  duty.  I  resigned  from  the  prison  service 
shortly  after  the  above  incident.  The  jailer  was 
dismissed  from  the  service  not  long  after  and  be- 
came a  printer's  devil  at  ten  dollars  per  month. 

It  was  while  I  was  in  the  Bassein  jail  that  I  es- 
tablished my  first  school  for  the  benefit  of  the  Bur- 
mese. 

The  Bassein  Day  School  was  opened  near  the 
Baptist  Mission.  This  school  was  established  for 
the  purpose  of  affording  a  secular  education  with- 
out prejudice  to  the  religious  faith  of  the  pupils. 
Many  Buddhist  parents  object  to  the  religious  in- 
struction given  in  mission  schools,  on  the  ground 
that  their  children  readily  acquire  the  habits  of 
the  nominal  Christians,  the  prevailing  weaknesses 
of  intemperance,  immorality  and  our  vaunted 
"Christian  Charity" — better  defined  as  man's 
inhumanity  to  man.  The  beautiful  character  of 
the  Buddhist  child,  the  predominating  feature  of 
which  is  that  of  a  Christ-like  reverence  and  honor 
for  their  parents  and  elders  undergoes  a  sad 
change.  The  parents  are  treated  with  a  care- 
less indifference,  and  later  with  gross  disrespect. 
The  boy,  whose  Buddhist  faith  teaches  abstinence 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

from  the  aforesaid  social  evils,  adopts  the  customs 
of  the  nominal  Christian — the  curse  of  missionary 
effort. 

When  I  assumed  charge  of  the  Cantonment  divi- 
sion, Eangoon,  as  inspector  of  police,  the  retiring 
officer  in  making  over  the  charge,  said,  "When 
cases  of  assault  or  theft  are  reported,  you  will  do 

well  to  go  through  St. College.  You  will  be 

surprised  to  learn  how  frequently  you  will  find  the 
offenders  there." 

The  rule  of  the  Bassein  day  school  was  to  give 
religious  instruction  to  those  children  whose  par- 
ents desired  it,  and  instruction  to  the  Buddhists 
in  their  own  faith.  The  late  Bishop  Bigandet, 
Eoman  Catholic  Bishop  of  Burma,  used  to  say, 
"Teach  a  Burmese  boy  to  be  a  true  Buddhist  and 
you  will  have  an  ideal  Christian." 

The  experiment  of  the  Bassein  Day  School  prov- 
ed most  satisfactory,  and  I  determined  to  extend 
my  work  in  that  direction. 

The  Rev.  Dr.  Cronkite  in  charge  of  the  Karen 
Mission  there,  which  I  attended,  was  favorably 
impressed  with  my  school. 

I  could  not,  of  course,  do  more  than  pay  casual 
visits  to  the  school,  but  I  had  a  good  staff  of  teach- 
ers in  charge. 

After  leaving  the  prison  service  in  1891,  I  took 
a  trip  to  the  Malay  Peninsula,  where  I  spent  about 
two  months  in  looking  over  the  mission  field. 

The  mission  to  seamen  interested  me  very  much, 
and  I  enjoyed  the  services  conducted  on  board 
different  vessels  each  Sabbath,  in  which  it  was  my 
privilege  to  participate. 


CHAPTER  XXIX 

A  COMEDY  OF  ERKOES 1  AM  TAKEN  FOR  AN  EX-CONVICT 

— SHADOWED  BY  GENERAL  MANAGER  OF  A  DEPART- 
MENT STORE THE  BISHOP  *S  "  COOKING 

BRANDY'' 

ON  my  return  to  Burma  I  decided  to  look  into 
the  operations  of  the  newly  established  Services 
Co-operative  Stores. 

Pursuing  my  policy  of  practical  investigation, 
I  called  on  the  general  manager  one  morning  to 
apply  for  a  job. 

I  was  directed  upstairs  to  the  office  and  ushered 
into  the  presence  of  that  official,  who  was  fresh 
from  England. 

' 1  Have  you  had  any  experience  in  this  line  ? "  he 
inquired. 

"Yes,  I  had  some  experience  in  this  line  about 
eighteen  years  ago,"  I  answered. 

"Eighteen  years  ago!"  he  said.  "What  have 
you  been  doing  since?" 

"Oh,  I  have  been  'Jack  of  all  trades,'  "  I  re- 
plied. 

"Where  were  you  last?"  he  asked. 

"In  jail,"  I  said. 

"In  jail !  How  long  were  you  there?"  he  asked 
in  astonishment. 

272 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph         273 

" About  five  years,'7  I  replied. 

6 1  Five  years  in  jail !  I  am  sorry,  but  I  have  no 
vacancy. ' ' 

"I  thank  you,"  I  said,  "good  morning,  sir." 

Leaving  the  august  presence  of  this  simple- 
minded  individual,  I  sauntered  through  the  upper 
floor  of  the  Service  Co-operative  Stores.  I  had 
no  sooner  closed  the  door  on  the  manager's  office 
than  he  quietly  opened  it  again  and  peeped 
through  the  slight  opening.  When  I  had  pro- 
ceeded only  a  few  paces  he  followed.  Being  in  the 
humor  for  a  little  fun,  I  spent  some  time  in  in- 
specting the  wares  of  the  various  departments, 
paying  particular  attention  to  the  jewelry  depart- 
ment and  others,  where  the  most  expensive  goods 
were  displayed. 

The  general  manager,  like  a  faithful  servant, 
paid  close  attention  to  his  duty.  He  not  only 
shadowed  me  himself  but  had  an  assistant  accom- 
pany him. 

After  having  spent  considerable  time  in  the 
store  and  worked  up  the  nerves  of  the  manager,  I 
met  the  assistant  manager,  Mr.  Charles  Pascal, 
whom  I  knew  very  well,  and  who  was  a  member 
of  my  church.  He  had  not  seen  me  since  my  re- 
turn from  Singapore,  and  emphasized  his  pleasure 
at  our  meeting  by  placing  his  arm  around  my 
shoulders  and  walking  with  me  in  this  friendly 
way.  I  glanced  around. to  see  what  effect  this  ex- 
pression of  affection  on  the  part  of  the  assistant 
manager  would  have  upon  his  superior. 

I  observed  that  gentleman  clinging  to  a  counter 
for  support — so  overcome  was  he  to  discover  his 


#74*         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

trusted  assistant  in  league  with  a  supposed  ex- 
convict. 

After  having  shown  me  around  the  various  de- 
partments, upstairs  and  down,  every  minute  of 
which  was  an  hour's  torture  to  the  general  man- 
ager, he  escorted  me  to  my  carriage. 

I  was  subsequently  informed  that  the  moment 
I  had  driven  away,  the  general  manager  stepped 
up  to  his  assistant  and  asked,  "Do  you  know  that 
man!" 

"Yes,  very  well,"  replied  the  assistant. 

"How  long  have  you  known  him?" 

"I  have  known  him  for  many  years." 

"Judging  from  your  friendly  greeting  I  pre- 
sume you  have  not  seen  him  for  some  time?" 

"Quite  so,"  replied  the  assistant,  "he  has  been 
away." 

"For  five  years,  I  believe,"  suggested  the  man- 
ager, and  then  adding,  "five  years  in  jail.  Do  you 
know,  sir,  that  you  are  making  a  bosom  friend  of 
an  ex-convict?  I  have  had  the  warmest  half-hour 
of  my  life  to  see  that  chap  safely  off  the  prem- 
ises." 

If  the  general  manager  had  been  surprised  by 
his  mysterious  applicant,  he  was  more  surprised 
when  Pascal  held  his  sides  and  roared  with  laugh- 
ter. 

Explanations  followed,  and  a  messenger  was 
sent  after  me  post-haste.  On  again  meeting  the 
general  manager,  I  said,  "Have  you  missed  any- 
thing ?  You  may  search  me ;  I  have  not  taken  it. ' ' 

The  general  manager  inquired  why  I  had  not 
explained  what  I  was  doing  in  jail 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph         275 

I  told  him  that  I  had  answered  his  questions. 
Had  he  wished  to  know  what  I  was  doing  in  con- 
nection with  the  prison  service  I  would  have  been 
pleased  to  have  enlightened  him  on  that  subject. 
I  was  informed  that  I  could  enter  upon  my  duties 
as  an  assistant  at  any  time.  I  was  ready.  I  had 
been  in  the  Service  Co-operative  Stores  about 
three  weeks  when  I  was  performing  the  duties  of 
three  men ;  that  of  an  assistant  behind  the  counter, 
cashier  and  checker  of  all  invoices. 

One  of  the  most  interesting  members  of  the 
Service  Co-operative  Stores  was  His  Lordship  the 
Bishop  of  -  and  his  wife — "Lovey." 

Shortly  after  entering  upon  my  duties  I  put  up 
an  order  for  the  Lord  Bishop.  His  Lordship  had 
made  it  distinctly  understood  that  under  no  cir- 
cumstances was  the  liberty  of  substitution  to  be 
practised  upon  him.  I  had  not  been  informed  of 
the  Bishop 's  eccentricities,  and  not  having  his 
favorite  cheese  in  stock,  I  substituted  some  good 
ripe  gorgonzola  for  cheddar.  The  order  was  de- 
livered before  my  mistake  was  discovered. 

The  manager  informed  me  that  he  would  leave 
me  to  "face  the  music'7  the  following  morning 
when  His  Lordship  would  be  sure  to  come  in  and 
raise  a  storm. 

At  eight  o'clock  the  following  morning  the 
Bishop's  carriage  pulled  up  at  the  door  and  "Mr. 
Gaiters"  nearly  turned  turtle  in  his  hurry  to  get 
out  of  his  carriage. 

Vaulting  over  the  counter,  I  met  him  at  the 
door.  Seizing  him  by  the  hand  I  shook  it  most 
vigorously  as  I  said,  "Ah,  my  Lord,  I  am  de- 


276         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

lighted  to  see  you.  I  knew  you  would  drop  in  to 
congratulate  me  on  the  quality  of  our  last  ship- 
ment of  gorgonzola.  I  know  your  taste  for  good 
things,  and  so  cut  out  the  mild  cheddar  and  sent 
you  the  choice  of  the  whole  store.  No,  don't  com- 
pliment me,  let  me  accompany  you  to  the  man- 
ager's office,  he  will  be  delighted  with  your  Lord- 
ship 's  congratulations. ' ' 

Taking  his  Lordship  by  the  arm  we  toddled  off 
to  the  manager's  office. 

The  Bishop  was  profuse  with  his  compliments 
for  the  good  judgment  I  had  shown,  notwithstand- 
ing that  he  had  called  for  the  express  purpose  of 
kicking  up  a  row. 

During  Christmas  week,  1891,  the  Bishop  and 
"Lovey"  came  with  their  Christmas  order. 

I  was  standing  near  them  when  a  certain  item 
on  their  list  was  reached.  The  Bishop,  observing 
me,  nudged  his  wife,  saying  as  he  did  so,  "Skip 
that,  Lovey,  skip  that." 

"Why  skip  it?"  said  "Lovey,"  looking  up  inno- 
cently at  her  Lord  Bishop. 

"Umph!  Don't  you  see?"  as  he  glanced  in  my 
direction.  "Wait,  wait,  put  that  in  last." 

When  they  were  nearing  the  completion  of  their 
order,  I  again  took  my  position  by  the  assistant 
waiting  on  the  Bishop.  At  length  the  last  item 
was  given. 

Then  commenced  an  amusing  comedy. 

Glancing  from  me  to  his  wife  his  lordship 
"hummed"  and  "hawed"  in  a  variety  of  keys  and 
inflections;  he  scratched  his  head  as  though  in  an 
effort  to  rake  up  his  memory,  searched  his  pockets 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph        277 

and  patted  his  epigastrium  and  forehead  alter- 
nately. He  put  on  his  specs  to  look  over  the  list, 
and  examined  the  ceiling,  bringing  his  handker- 
chief into  play,  he  mopped  his  forehead  and  finally 
remarked,  "I  am  sure  we  have  forgotten  some- 
thing. What  is  it,  Lovey?" 

"I  really  can't  think,  Bishop,  but  I  am  sure  we 
have  missed  something/'  his  wife  replied. 

Together  they  went  carefully  over  the  list  and 
"Lovey's"  pencil  rested  for  a  moment  on  the 
missing  item,  but  still  neither  the  Bishop  nor  his 
wife  could  bring  themselves  to  mention  it. 

After  having  enjoyed  the  Bishop's  discomfort 
for  some  time,  I  volunteered  to  assist  his  memory. 
"I  think  I  can  help  your  Lordship,"  I  suggested. 
1 1  The  item  which  you  can  not  recall  is,  perhaps,  an 
uncommon  one  at  Bishop's  Court,  and  it  is  not 
surprising  that  you  do  not  recall  it.  I  believe  it  is 
cooking  brandy  for  the  Christmas  pudding." 

"Well  done,  you  are  a  marvel!"  exclaimed  the 
Bishop.  "That  is  the  very  thing."  Then  turn- 
ing to  his  wife,  he  continued,  "Oh,  Lovey,  this  is 
the  gentleman  who  sent  us  that  beautiful  gorgon- 
zola." 

The  assistant  had  produced  three  or  four  brands 
of  brandy  for  inspection. 

"I  am  afraid  my  memory  is  at  fault  again," 
said  the  Bishop ; ' '  Christmas  comes  but  once  a  year 
and  I  do  not  quite  recall  the  brand  we  had  last 
year.  I  am  sure  it  was  not  of  these.  It  had  a 
very  nice  flavor  and  I  would  like  to  have  the  same 
brand  again." 

The  assistant  had  nearly  exhausted  our  various 


278         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

brands  of  brandy  without  success.  ' '  I  would  know 
it  if  I  saw  the  bottle,"  explained  the  distressed 
Bishop.  l  '  The  name  of  the  brand  is  on  my  tongue, 
but  I  can  not  quite  say  it. ' '  Turning  to  the  assis- 
tant I  spoke  to  him,  soto  voce,  whereupon  he  pro- 
duced the  familiar  wire-netted  bottle  with  the  seal 
of  Egshaws  No.  1. 

" That's  it,  that's  it,"  cried  the  delighted 
Bishop,  like  a  school  boy.  The  assistant  waited 
patiently  for  the  order  for  the  " cooking  brandy" 
for  the  Bishop's  Christmas  pudding. 

Again  they  were  in  a  quandary. 

"How  much  did  we  have  last  Christmas  1"  in- 
quired my  Lord  Bishop. 

"I  really  forget,  Bishop,"  replied  "Lovey." 

"That  is  very  awkward,"  said  the  Bishop. 

Again  I  came  to  the  rescue.  "Shall  we  make  it 
a  dozen  cases?"  I  suggested. 

"Upon  my  word,  I  believe  that  is  just  what  we 
had  last  Christmas,"  exclaimed  the  Bishop.  "Yes, 
send  a  dozen  cases,  it  gives  the  pudding  a  delicious 
flavor."  After  which  the  delighted  couple  took 
their  departure. 

Six  months '  experience  in  the  Service  Co-opera- 
tive Stores  gave  me  a  good  idea  of  the  advantage 
of  co-operative  service  organizations  to  supply 
food  stuffs,  wearing  apparel  and  other  articles 
and  wares  of  domestic  utility,  at  much  lower  cost 
than  obtains  in  other  establishments. 


CHAPTEE  XXX 

A  PASSAGE  OF  ARMS  WITH  THE  EEBELS — I  BUN  RISK  OF 
BEING  CONVERTED  INTO  PEMICAN 

I  OMITTED  to  mention  an  interesting  experience 
shortly  after  I  had  resigned  my  command  in  the 
military  police,  early  in  1887. 

Having  joined  the  Public  Works  Department, 
I  was  placed  in  charge  of  the  executive  engineer 's 
office  at  Toungdwingyi ;  (within  the  mountains), 
situated  about  fifteen  miles  east  of  Minbu  in  Up- 
per Burma, 

Peace  had  been  declared  for  some  time,  but  the 
natives  of  this  locality  had  not  yet  submitted  to 
British  rule.  A  few  days  prior  to  my  arrival  at 
Minbu  the  deputy  commissioner  of  the  district, 
Colonel  Phayre,  was  brutally  murdered  on  the 
road  over  which  I  had  to  travel. 

His  party  had  been  surprised  by  the  rebels. 
His  remains  were  later  found  by  a  search  party. 
He  had  been  decapitated  and  quartered,  his  head 
and  quarters  being  found  suspended  from  the 
branches  of  different  trees — a  grewsome  spectacle 
which  filled  every  European,  military  and  civil, 
with  horror. 

I  left  Minbu  with  a  convoy  under  strong  mili- 
tary escort  for  Toungdwingyi.  When  about  two 

279 


280         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelpli 

miles  out  from  Minbu  I  told  the  officer  command- 
ing that  I  was  going  ahead. 

He  remonstrated  with  me  for  my  foolhardiness 
and  asked  me  if  poor  Phayre's  fate  was  not  suffi- 
cient to  deter  me  from  my  recklessness.  The  con- 
voy was  expecting  an  attack,  and,  as  I  cantered 
ahead  the  officer  commanding  the  convoy  called 
out,  "Good-bye." 

I  knew  my  position;  I  also  knew  the  strength 
of  the  rebels  and  my  relation  to  them,  therefore  I 
had  no  fear. 

I  had  proceeded  about  five  miles ;  had  long  lost 
the  creaking  of  the  bullock  carts  and  was  enjoying 
the  stillness  of  nature  in  the  jungles,  disturbed 
only  by  an  occasional  snake,  deer  or  bear,  when 
I  suddenly  came  upon  two  men  carrying  baskets 
of  betel-nut  leaves. 

A  few  words  in  conversation  convinced  me  that 
they  were  rebel  scouts.  I  passed  on  and  shortly 
afterwards  came  upon  a  party  of  about  fifty  armed 
men. 

As  they  brought  their  arms  to  the  "ready,"  I 
bandied  them  in  Burmese,  saying — "This  is  very 
foolish.  I  am  not  a  tiger.  What  do  you  wish  to 
shoot?" 

I  was  smiling  and  looking  at  the  leader.  I  have 
stated  elsewhere  that  the  bump  of  humor  is  large- 
ly developed  in  the  Burmese.  I  repeat  it  that  per- 
chance some  who  read  these  remarks  may  profit 
thereby. 

The  leader  remarked,  "This  is  a  very  witty  fel- 
low," then  turning  to  me  he  asked,  "Are  you  not 
afraid  to  die?" 


Memoirs  of  Prmce  John  De  Guelph         281 

To  this  I  replied,  "You  are  Buddhists,  are  you 
not?  How  then,  can  you  speak  of  death,  when 
there  is  no  death ;  life  being  but  an  ephemeral  con- 
dition, a  transitionary  stage  in  the  evolution  of 
our  spiritual  being.  As  we  are  on  earth  for  spiri- 
tual development  only,  so  our  transition  hence  is 
by  merit  or  demerit.  If  I  have  attained  merit 
to  justify  my  transition  I  am  very  happy;  but,  if 
you  have  attained  to  demerit  to  cause  my  transi- 
tion, I  am  very  sorry  for  you." 

To  these  remarks  the  leader  said,  "This  Eng- 
lishman is  a  Buddhist  and  a  great  teacher.  We 
must  hear  him.  But  he  is  our  enemy,  therefore 
would  we  kill  him." 

Again  addressing  the  leader,  I  said,  "Will  you 
please  define  the  expression, — ' enemy?'  "  Con- 
tinuing, I  said,  "An  enemy  is  an  armed  man  or 
body  of  men  who  destroy  their  fellow  man.  As  you 
observe,  I  have  neither  gun,  sword,  nor  spear.  I 
am,  therefore,  a  man  of  peace.  You,  on  the  other 
hand,  are  armed  with  guns,  swords  and  spears. 
Hence  you  are  the  enemies  of  the  man  of  peace. 

"You  think  you  are  justified  in  killing  an  Eng- 
lishman simply  because  you  take  the  position  that 
England  made  war  upon  your  country.  Do  you 
think  that  I  represent  the  whole  British  army  and 
navy  combined  that  you  would  raise  fifty  guns 
to  kill  me?  You  asked  me  why  I  smile  while  fac- 
ing your  guns.  I  did  so  for  the  reason  that  I  was 
both  happy  and  amused.  Happy  at  the  mere  pros- 
pect of  the  future  life ;  and  amused  to  see  so  many 
men  trying  to  shoot  one  man.  My  life  is  perfectly 
safe  before  so  many  guns.  If  any  one  of  your 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

men  could  shoot  straight  enough  to  kill  me,  it 
would  not  be  necessary  for  fifty  to  try." 

The  above  sally  caused  a  hearty  laugh  among 
the  whole  party,  after  which  I  was  invited  to  join 
them  in  their  repast  which  had  been  disturbed  by 
my  approach. 

I  took  the  opportunity  to  impress  upon  my 
hosts  the  absurdity  of  so  many  unskilled  marks- 
men attempting  to  attack  a  properly  disciplined 
army  of  "professional  men-killers. ' '  It  took  fifty 
of  them  to  try  to  kill  a  man  of  peace ;  whereas,  one 
professional  man-killer  could  easily  kill  one  hun- 
dred or  more  of  them.  I  told  them  that  peace  had 
long  been  declared  and  advised  them  to  return  to 
their  homes  and  families,  with  the  assurance  that 
the  British  Government  would  make  their  lives 
very  much  brighter  and  the  country  better  than 
in  the  past. 

The  party  thanked  me  for  my  advice  and  dis- 
persed to  their  homes. 

I  reached  my  destination  in  safety.  I  was  taken 
ill  shortly  after  my  arrival  at  Toungdwingyi  and 
resigning  my  position  I  returned  to  Eangoon 
within  a  few  weeks. 

About  the  fall  of  1891,  I  engaged  in  lecturing 
on  and  teaching  the  Burmese  language.  I  had 
classes  in  the  Burma  Volunteers,  taught  officers 
and  men  in  the  regiments,  missionaries,  civil  ser- 
vants, and  the  various  classes  in  the  Methodist 
school. 

My  phonetic  system  in  teaching  this  difficult 
language  was  highly  commended  by  the  highest 
authorities ;  Bishop  Bigandet,  the  greatest  author- 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph         283 

ity  on  the  language,  said  that  the  only  thing  that 
surprised  him  was  "that  the  system  had  not  been 
adopted  fifty  years  ago. ' ' 

I  was  not  allowed  to  remain  long  as  a  professor 
of  Oriental  languages.  The  director  of  public  in- 
struction, Mr.  J.  Van  Someran  Pope,  wished  me 
to  undertake  the  responsibility  of  establishing 
an  Anglo-vernacular  school  in  Upper  Burma. 

I  accordingly  went  to  Myingyan  (the  country 
of  the  wild  horse)  and  established  a  government 
school,  early  in  1892. 

Two  or  three  weeks  after  my  arrival  there  I 
was  taken  ill  with  cholera,  and  was  alone  in  my 
quarters,  without  medical  aid  through  a  day  and 
night  until  Father  Berard,  a  Eoman  Catholic 
priest,  whom  I  was  instructing  in  Burmese,  came 
to  my  assistance  about  3.30  A.  M.,  the  day  after 
my  attack. 

He  had  been  out  all  night  attending  to  a  sick 
person  and  came  to  me  the  moment  he  heard  of  my 
condition.  The  priest  brought  two  bottles  of  com- 
munion wine  thinking  it  might  be  useful  in  the 
absence  of  other  remedies.  He  also  brought  me 
the  only  quilt  or  comforter  and  pillow  which  con- 
stituted his  bed — an  example  of  true  missionary 
spirit  and  Christian  charity  that  other  mission- 
aries would  do  well  to  follow. 

On  my  recovery  I  left  for  Mandalay,  where  I 
established  the  "Mandalay  Myo  Theikpan 
Choung-Daw-Gyi  (The  Mandalay  Eoyal  Town 
School  of  Science  and  Art)."  This  was  a  private 
enterprise.  I  employed  only  European  teachers 
and  followed  my  former  policy  of  affording  the 


284        Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

children  of  the  country  the  advantages  of  advanc- 
ed Western  education  without  prejudice  to  the  re- 
ligious faith  of  any. 

The  school  became  very  popular  and  met  with 
the  support  of  the  leading  representatives  of  all 
nationalities  in  Mandalay. 

In  the  month  of  February,  1893,  the  Eev. 
Thomas  Ellis,  superintendent  of  the  St.  Barnabas 
and  St.  Luke's  Mission  Schools  (Society  for  the 
Propagation  of  the  Gospel),  urged  upon  me  to  go 
to  Eangoon  to  take  charge  of  the  St.  Barnabas 
Schools,  which  for  twelve  years  had  stood  at  the 
bottom  of  the  list  of  all  schools  in  the  country  at 
each  successive  examination.  The  government 
had  decided  to  withdraw  the  government  grant 
from  the  schools.  A  formal  examination  was  to 
be  held  in  two  weeks '  time  for  the  purpose  of  con- 
demning the  school. 

Making  over  charge  of  my  school  to  another 
party,  I  proceeded  to  Eangoon  and  took  charge 
of  St.  Barnabas  School. 

The  day  for  the  formal  examination  arrived 
and  a  new  inspector  fresh  from  Cambridge  was 
given  the  unpleasant  task  of  condemning  a  mis- 
sion school  as  his  first  duty.  The  result  of  the  ex- 
amination was  a  surprise  to  him  and  a  still  greater 
surprise  to  the  director  of  public  instruction,  the 
whole  school  gaining  a  hundred  per  cent,  in  all 
subjects  and  excellent  in  discipline. 

Needless  to  say  the  school  was  not  condemned. 
At  the  following  annual  examination,  held  three 
months  later,  St.  Barnabas  School  jumped  from 


The  Prince  John  as  a  Missionary 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph         285 

the  bottom  of  the  list  to  the  first  place  of  all 
schools  in  the  country  in  merit  and  discipline. 

I  devoted  a  great  deal  of  my  time  to  attending 
to  the  sick,  treating  cases  of  leprosy  and  other 
diseases  of  remote  origin.  My  success  led  to  my 
being  designated  by  the  natives  '  '  The  Great  Eoyal 
Physician  of  the  East."  I  also  devoted  consider- 
able time  to  teaching  and  lecturing  when  not  en- 
gaged in  mission  duties. 


CHAPTER  XXXI 

I   AM   TAKEN   DANGEKOUSLY   ILL BEING   UKGED   UPON 

BY  MY  SPIRITUAL  ADVISER,  I  SEND  A  MESSAGE  OF 

MY  FORGIVENESS  TO  MY  GRANDMOTHER  THE 

QUEEN  AND  MY  FATHER  AND  THEREBY 

REVEAL   MY   IDENTITY 

THE  strenuous  mental  and  physical  labor  of  the 
past  year  following  upon  the  attack  of  cholera 
from  the  effect  of  which  I  had  never  fully  recov- 
ered, had  been  depleting  my  vitality  and  I  finally 
collapsed  from  heart-failure. 

This  attack  commenced  about  the  month  of  No- 
vember, 1893,  but  I  persistently  refused  to  follow 
the  advice  of  my  physicians,  Dr.  Baker,  the  civil 
surgeon,  and  Dr.  A.  H.  Ellis,  a  member  of  the 
S.  P.  G.  Mission,  with  which  I  was  connected,  who 
urged  me  repeatedly  to  return  to  England.  I 
insisted  upon  attending  to  my  duties  until  the 
Easter  vacation.  I  had  also  arranged  with  Mr. 
Moodray  Pillay,  a  noted  Hindu  philanthropist, 
to  establish  a  hospital  in  Rangoon  for  the  treat- 
ment of  the  sick  poor,  for  which  purpose  that  gen- 
tleman had  placed  at  my  disposal  one  of  his  large 
school  buildings.  It  may  be  stated  here  that  Mr. 
Moodray  Pillay  had  established  large  schools  in 
Rangoon  on  the  lines  introduced  by  me,  where 

286 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph         287 

Hindu  children  could  receive  thorough  western 
education  without  prejudice  to  their  religious 
faith. 

The  projected  hospital,  I  regret  to  say,  fell 
through  at  the  very  time  our  arrangements  for 
opening  it  were  completed. 

On  returning  to  my  residence  one  Saturday 
evening,  following  a  very  heavy  day's  work,  I 
was  seized  with  an  attack  of  heart-failure  from 
which  I  remained  unconscious  for  several  hours, 
Dr.  Ellis,  who  was  summoned  immediately  after 
I  was  stricken,  doing  everything  possible  to  re- 
store me.  These  attacks  recurred  at  intervals  for 
two  months. 

On  the  occasion  of  the  second  attack,  which 
came  a  few  days  after  the  first,  Dr.  Ellis,  fearing 
that  I  was  at  the  point  of  death,  called  the  Eev. 
Thomas  Ellis,  superintendent  of  our  mission. 

Taking  advantage  of  a  slight  rally,  my  spiritual 
adviser  begged  of  me  to  send  a  "last  message' '  to 
my  "people  at  home."  Neither  of  my  fellow 
laborers  in  the  Lord's  vineyard  knew  of  my  iden- 
tity. They  did  know,  however,  that  there  was 
some  great  secret  sorrow  in  my  heart,  which  they 
had  hitherto  respected  with  brotherly  silence  and 
sympathy. 

I  at  first  declined  to  make  any  statement,  but 
as  I  saw  that  my  silence  pained  my  friends,  I  con- 
sented to  make  what  I  firmly  believed  at  that  time 
to  be  my  death-bed  statement  before  God  and  His 
ministers.  The  statement  was  made  to  my  spiri- 
tual adviser  as  a  sacred  trust. 

Kev.  Thomas  Ellis  thoughtfully  suggested  that 


288         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

the  Eev.  A.  H.  Ellis  should  retire  to  another 
room,  but  I  explained  that  it  was  important  that 
he  should  be  present.  First,  for  the  reason  that 
he  was  a  member  of  the  mission  and  therefore  an 
important  witness  to  what  I  was  about  to  say ;  and, 
secondly,  for  the  reason  that  as  my  physician  it 
was  still  more  important  that  he  should  be  in  a 
position  to  state  whether  or  not  my  mind  was  clear 
and  rational  at  the  time  of  making  the  statement. 
I  then  explained  to  them  my  identity  and  the  par- 
ticulars of  my  birth;  and  also  the  names  and 
addresses  of  the  different  nurses  and  people  with 
whom  I  had  lived,  giving  the  dates  and  years  dur- 
ing which  I  had  lived  at  the  different  places ;  I  also 
showed  to  them  marks  of  identification  upon  my 
body  and  the  depression  in  my  skull  caused  by  the 
fall  over  the  railway  wall  when  an  infant. 

I  also  sent  to  my  grandmother,  the  late  Queen 
Victoria,  and  to  my  father,  then  Prince  of  Wales, 
a  message  of  my  forgiveness  for  the  cruel  man- 
ner in  which  I  had  been  robbed  of  my  legitimate 
birthright,  as  his  first  born  son  torn  from  my 
mother's  breast. 

I  again  relapsed  into  unconsciousness ;  prayers 
were  offered  and,  finally,  as  Dr.  Ellis  pronounced 
life  extinct,  he  uttered  the  words,  "Into  Thy 
hands,  0  God,  we  commend  his  spirit,  Amen." 

Thus  it  was  thought  that  I  had  departed  from 
this  life.  The  two  clergymen  had  adjourned  to 
another  room,  to  discuss  the  arrangements  for  my 
funeral  the  following  day,  Sunday. 

They  remained  for  some  time  conversing  in 
an  undertone.  Here  I  must  relate  a  manifestation 


H.  M.  KING  EDWARD  VII 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph         289 

of  a  psychological  phenomenon  which  may  be  of 
interest  to  psychologists  and  to  the  medical  pro- 
fession. 

While  my  body  was  lying  cold,  in  apparent 
death,  I  was  conscious  of  being  present  in  the 
room  where  my  fellow  missionary  workers  were 
seated  and  planning  for  the  services  on  the  mor- 
row and  for  my  funeral  to  take  place  in  the  after- 
noon. I  understood  the  conversation  as  distinctly 
as  I  could  have  done  had  I  been  present  in  the 
body.  I  was  also  conscious  of  passing  through 
other  experiences,  the  particulars  of  which  I  will 
not  relate  at  this  time. 

I  recovered  consciousness  about  eight  hours 
later,  and  my  appearance  on  the  stage  of  life  on 
Sunday  morning  gave  my  friends  quite  a  shock. 

I  wrote  to  my  father  immediately  after  my  re- 
covery, and  explained  that  I  was  about  to  return 
to  England  on  sick  furlough. 

It  was  at  this  time  that  my  father  communicated 
with  the  Lieutenant  Governor  of  Burma,  admit- 
ting our  relationship  and  suggesting  that  I  should 
go  to  Australia  or  New  Zealand  for  my  health. 

This  communication,  while  of  a  confidential  na- 
ture, had  to  be  made  known  to  the  Lord  Bishop  of 
my  diocese,  the  director  of  public  instruction  and 
other  officials,  with  the  result  that  within  a  week 
it  was  an  open  secret. 

Being  unable  to  live  longer  in  seclusion,  I  as- 
sumed the  family  name  of  Guelph,  which  my 
grandmother  resented. 

Captain  J.  Eegan,  superintendent  of  the  Gov- 
ernment Printing  Department  in  Burma,  dropped 


290         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

in  on  me  at  Evershed's  Hotel  one  evening.  After 
a  few  casual  remarks  he  suggested  that  I  should 
discontinue  to  use  the  family  name  of  the  Beign- 
ing  House ;  he  also  explained  to  me  that  if  I  would 
discontinue  the  name  of  Guelph,  a  title  commen- 
surate with  my  birth  would  be  conferred  upon  me 
and  an  office  suited  to  my  station  would  be  pro- 
vided for  me  in  the  colonies. 

I  explained  to  him  that  for  over  twelve  years  the 
doctors  had  repeatedly  urged  me  to  return  to  Eng- 
land, saying  that  I  could  not  live  in  the  climate  of 
India;  that  I  had  as  persistently  refused  to  leave 
India  where  I  had  enjoyed  my  life  of  seclusion, 
preferring  rather  to  die  in  seclusion  than  to  return 
to  England  where  the  bitterness  of  my  position 
was  ever  present  with  me  and  made  life  a  misery. 
The  injustice  and  indignities  heaped  upon  me  and 
my  mother  from  the  time  of  my  birth  were  simply 
intolerable  and  words  failed  me  to  adequately  ex- 
press the  contempt  in  which  I  had  held  my  grand- 
mother, my  father  and  the  nation  at  large  for  the 
parts  they  had  played  in  the  infamous  and  bar- 
barous crime  committed  against  me  and  my 
mother.  Now  that  my  identity  had  been  made 
known  through  my  father's  communication  to  the 
authorities,  and  my  desire  to  live  incognito  was 
no  longer  possible,  the  assumption  of  my  family 
name  was  the  only  course  left  open  to  me.  I  fur- 
ther explained  to  Captain  Began  that  I  possessed 
certain  royal  titles  by  right  of  birth,  and  that  as 
my  name  was  not  Esau  I  was  not  disposed  to  bar- 
ter my  birthright  for  a  "mess  of  pottage. "  He 
would  please  convey  my  compliments  to  Her 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph         £91 

Majesty  the  Queen-Empress,  my  grandmother, 
and  tell  her  that  it  was  my  intention  to  be  known 
thereafter  by  the  family  name  as  the  legitimate 
issue  thereof.  And,  further,  that  I  purposed  to 
return  to  England  as  advised  by  my  physician. 
I  added,  however,  that  out  of  respect  for  her  feel- 
ings, I  would,  during  her  lifetime,  continue  the 
incognito  hitherto  observed,  and  would  be  known 
by  the  family  name  hyphenated  with  the  name  by 
which  I  had  always  been  known,  i.  e.,  John  E. 
Guelph-Norman ;  but,  that  the  day  my  father 
should  be  crowned  King  of  Great  Britain  and  Ire- 
land, I  would  thereafter  be  known  only  by  the  fam- 
ily name  of  Guelph  or  by  my  rightful  titles. 

The  Lord  Bishop  of  my  diocese  complimented 
me  on  the  stand  I  had  taken,  and,  stating  that  I 
had  ' l  the  lash  in  my  hand, ' '  urged  me ' '  to  go  home 
and  use  it." 


CHAPTER  XXXII 

I   AMi   RECOMMENDED    FOR,   CHAIR   OP    BURMESE,    CAM- 
BRIDGE  UNIVERSITY 1   SAIL   FOR   ENGLAND BUF- 

FETTED  BY  SOUTHWEST  MONSOONS,  WE  REACH 
ENGLAND  MUCH  BATTERED  AND  CRIPPLED 

I  TOOK  passage  by  the  tramp  steamer  S.  S.  Afri- 
cander, Captain  C H ,  as  jolly  a  skip- 
per as  ever  sailed  the  seas,  for  two  reasons:  I 
was  going  on  sick  furlough  without  pay,  with  an 
empty  pocket  and  no  bank  account ;  had  my  salary 
in  the  mission  been  ten  times  greater  than  it  was 
I  would  have  been  in  the  same  impoverished  con- 
dition, since  a  missionary  agent  can  always  find 
good  use  for  surplus  money.  The  cheap  passage 
by  the  tramp  was,  therefore,  a  consideration  to 
me.  In  the  second  place,  being  the  only  passen- 
ger I  would  have  the  advantage  of  quiet  and  rest, 
not  easily  obtained  on  the  regular  liners;  more- 
over, the  Africander  being  a  slower  boat  I  would 
have  the  advantage  of  the  longer  voyage  which 
would  benefit  my  health. 

I  had  not,  however,  bargained  for  the  exciting 
experience  I  was  entering  upon.  The  excitement 
commenced  before  we  put  to  sea,  by  the  chief  of- 
ficer shooting  me  in  the  right  foot  at  two-foot 
range  with  his  air  gun.  Congratulating  myself 

292 


Memoirs  of  Prmce  John  De  Guelph         293 

that  he  had  chosen  my  foot  instead  of  my  head 
as  a  target  for  his  tomfoolery,  I  dismissed  the 
matter  from  my  mind.  All  went  well  until  we 
reached  Columbo,  where  we  coaled.  The  ship  was 
overloaded  on  leaving  Rangoon,  and  on  steaming 
from  Columbo  about  midnight  we  were  a  foot  be- 
low the  water  line.  Captain  H—  -  had  been 
for  many  years  on  the  South  African  Mail  Ser- 
vice, but  was  unfamiliar  with  the  far  Eastern 
trade  routes. 

His  unfamiliarity  with  the  monsoons  led  him  to 
take  the  regular  course  of  mail  steamers  in  good 
weather  instead  of  following  the  course  as  marked 
on  the  chart  for  the  monsoon  season. 

The  course  followed  by  the  captain  was  where 
the  greatest  force  of  the  monsoons  was  concen- 
trated and  the  most  confused  seas  were  encoun- 
tered. 

The  three  forward  hatchways  were  stove  in 
and  tons  of  water  soaked  the  cargo  of  rice,  the 
life  boats  smashed  into  matchwood  and  the  davits 
snapped  up  like  so  many  slate  pencils,  the  bul- 
warks and  deck  torn  up,  and  the  after-saloon 
damaged  and  flooded. 

When  off  the  island  of  Socotra  about  5.30  P.  M. 
a  sea  was  shipped  which  gave  the  Africander  a 
spasm.  The  chief  engineer  on  calculating  the 
force  required  to  do  the  damage  done  by  that  sea 
found  it  to  be  21,000  tons. 

The  chief  officer  was  on  the  bridge.  The  helm 
was  put  hard  a 'port  and  all  hands  called  on  deck 
to  clear  away  the  wreckage  and  once  more  to  cover 
the  hatchways.  By  an  error  of  judgment  the  Cap- 


294         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelpk 

tain,  on  reaching  the  bridge  again,  turned  her 
head  to  the  sea,  with  the  result  that  another  sea 
was  shipped,  endangering  the  lives  of  the  whole 
crew  and  came  near  sending  the  boat  to  the  bot- 
tom. 

The  following  morning  about  nine  o'clock  we 
were  abeam  the  Island  of  Socotra,  having  made  a 
"record"  run  of  eight  knots  in  sixteen  hours 
steaming  at  full  speed.  It  was  with  feelings  of  re- 
lief that  we  passed  this  point  where  two  liners  had 
been  wrecked  about  a  week  previous.  In  sixteen 
days  we  had  made  a  run  from  Columbo  which, 
under  ordinary  circumstances,  should  have  been 
made  in  six  days.  We  arrived  safely  at  Suez, 
called  at  Port  Said,  Alexandria,  Beirut,  Jaffa, 
Tripoli  and  other  ports. 

Captain  H ,  who  was  considerably  alarm- 
ed for  the  safety  of  the  vessel  and  for  his  own 
skin  during  the  worst  part  of  the  voyage,  sought 
my  companionship  a  good  deal  of  the  time  and  we 
spent  many  hours  together.  The  afternoon  be- 
fore reaching  Socotra,  I  wished  to  take  a  nap,  and, 
calling  the  steward,  told  him  that  if  the  captain 
should  call  for  me,  he  was  to  say  that  "I  had  gone 
ashore. " 

A  little  later  I  heard  the  captain  calling  for  the 
steward.  He  ordered  the  steward  to  convey  his 
compliments  to  me  and  to  say  that  he  would  like 
to  see  me.  I  heard  the  steward  carry  out  my  in- 
structions by  saying,  "he's  gone  ashore,  sir." 

"Well,"  replied  the  captain,  "when  he  comes 
aboard,  tell  him  I  would  like  to  see  him." 

"Aye,  aye,  sir,"  replied  the  steward. 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph         895 

A  few  moments  later  I  heard  the  captain  roar 
for  the  steward;  when  that  dignitary  responded, 
the  captain  shouted,  "Gone  ashore,  has  he!  !  ! 
Gone  ashore,  you  lubber,  and  we  sixteen  days  at 
sea?" 

Here  followed  a  fusilade  of  sea-boots  and  other 
movable  articles  to  the  accompaniment  of  further 
picturesque  sea  language,  after  which  the  captain 
made  his  way  to  my  cabin. 

We  reached  Alexandria  on  the  anniversary  of 
the  bombardment  of  that  port. 

An  affray  took  place  that  evening  between  a  lot 
of  Egyptians  and  English  sailors  in  port. 

I  had  gone  ashore  early  in  the  afternoon  and 
knew  nothing  of  the  trouble.  About  midnight 
when  returning  on  board  I  was  attacked  by  a 
dozen  stalwart  Egyptians,  not  far  from  the  pier. 
Being  unarmed,  I  " borrowed"  a  club  from  one 
of  my  assailants  and  gave  them  a  lesson  in  the  use 
of  the  weapon — and  escaped  without  injury  be- 
yond having  my  coat  torn.  I  reported  the  matter 
to  the  police  and  returned  to  the  steamer. 

On  reaching  Gravesend  I  said  "good-bye"  to 
the  captain  and  officers  and  proceeded  to  London 
by  train. 

I  reported  at  the  office  of  the  Society  for  the 
Propagation  of  the  Gospel  on  my  arrival  in  Lon- 
don. 

It  was  necessary  for  me  to  find  some  occupation. 
I  had  expected  to  have  been  appointed  to  the  chair 
of  Burmese  in  the  Cambridge  University,  for 
which  I  had  been  recommended  before  leaving 
Burma.  As  I  had  been  more  than  two  months  on 


296         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

the  voyage,  or  more  than  a  month  longer  than  I 
had  expected,  the  position  had  been  filled  before 
my  arrival.  A  number  of  the  missionary  socie- 
ties in  London  said  they  would  be  glad  of  my  serv- 
ices when  they  made  their  appointments  in  Novem- 
ber, but  it  was  difficult  to  find  congenial  employ- 
ment during  the  summer  months. 

The  curacy  of  St.  John's  Church,  Birmingham, 
was  offered  to  me  from  the  1st  September,  1894, 
but  as  the  letter  was  mislaid  in  the  office  of  the 
S.  P.  GL,  I  knew  nothing  of  the  offer  until  the 
middle  of  September  when  it  was,  of  course,  too 
late. 

I  had  written  to  my  grandmother,  the  late 
Queen  Victoria,  and  also  to  my  father  two  or  three 
times  during  the  voyage  home,  and  had  given  them 
the  name  and  address  of  my  London  agents  in 
case  they  desired  to  communicate  with  me,  but  I 
gave  my  father  to  distinctly  understand  that  not- 
withstanding that  I  was  returning  on  sick  fur- 
lough and  physically  unfit  for  work,  I  desired  no 
financial  assistance  from  him  except  my  legiti- 
mate birthright.  As  I  had  been  thrown  upon  my 
own  resources  from  infancy,  I  would  accept  no 
compromise. 

Having  looked  in  vain  for  employment  among 
all  the  Home  Missionary  Societies  and  being  re- 
duced to  my  last  shilling,  I  took  to  the  lecture 
platform;  lecturing  on  the  medical  systems  of 
India,  Ayurveda  and  Yunani,  giving  at  the  same 
time  demonstrations  on  the  platform  of  the  prac- 
tical application  of  physiological  psychology  to 
abnormal  or  pathological  data  of  both  physical 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph         297 

and  mental  nature.  I  established  consulting 
rooms  in  Liverpool  and  Manchester  on  the  sug- 
gestion of  my  friend  H.  L.  Squires,  of  Hope  Street, 
Liverpool. 

My  services  were  much  in  demand,  both  in  the 
lecture  field  and  in  treating  disease.  The  sick, 
the  lame,  and  the  blind  were  brought  from  differ- 
ent parts  of  the  country  and  also  from  the  con- 
tinent of  Europe  to  me.  The  press  notices  of  that 
time  show  that  some  people  much  appreciated  my 
services. 


CHAPTER  XXXIII 

I  RETURN  TO  BURMA — I  ESPOUSE  THE   CAUSE  OF  THE 

PEOPLE MY  GROWING  POPULARITY  A  MENACE  TO 

THOSE  WHO  HAD  USURPED  MY  RIGHTS — FIF- 
TEEN YEARS  OF  POLITICAL  INTRIGUE  AND 
PERSECUTION    FOLLOW 

AT  the  end  of  April,  1895,  I  cancelled  all  my 
engagements  and  returned  to  India  by  the  S.  S. 
Ameer  of  the  Brocklebank  Line,  sailing  from 
Liverpool  7th  May  for  Calcutta,  from  which  port 
I  took  the  British  India  line  for  Rangoon,  where 
I  arrived  on  the  15th  June. 

My  furlough  did  not  expire  until  the  24th  May 
the  following  year,  but  it  was  too  painful  for  me 
to  remain  in  my  false  position  in  England  living 
among  the  people,  while  others  enjoyed  my  right- 
ful patrimony. 

On  my  arrival  in  Burma  I  established  an  insti- 
tute for  the  treatment  of  diseases  found  intracta- 
ble by  ordinary  medical  treatment,  such  as  leprosy, 
diseases  of  the  eye  and  ear  and  nervous  system, 
the  neurosis  and  psychosis  of  alcoholism  and  men- 
tal diseases  generally. 

Wishing  to  continue  my  investigations,  I  re- 
signed from  the  Anglican  Church  Mission  and 
went  on  a  tour  through  India,  treating  the  sick  at 

298 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph         299 

the  various  centres  en  route.  It  was  during  this 
tour  that  I  first  met  with  political  persecution, 
which  was  continued  up  to  the  time  of  the  death 
of  my  father,  in  May,  1910. 

At  the  end  of  1896,  I  returned  to  Burma  and 
established  the  Maulmein  Sanatorium.  My  clien- 
telle  was  principally  among  the  poor  Burmese  and 
Hindoos.  The  number  of  people  seeking  relief 
was  so  great  that  my  strength  was  taxed  to  the 
limit. 

One  morning  I  decided  to  take  a  rest.  Accom- 
panied by  two  attendants  I  took  a  row  boat  up 
the  Salween  river  to  the  village  of  Kadoe.  On 
reaching  that  place  the  bank  of  the  river  was  lined 
with  crowds  of  Burmese,  many  of  whom,  having 
learned  that  I  was  going  there,  had  proceeded  by 
the  road.  On  leaving  Kadoe  on  my  return  trip, 
shortly  after  the  boat  had  pulled  into  the  stream, 
I  discovered  a  Burman  concealed  in  the  small  com- 
partment at  the  stern  of  the  boat. 

I  directed  him  to  come  to  me.  He  crawled  out 
on  hands  and  knees,  and  as  he  approached  pros- 
trated himself  before  me  begging  for  mercy — he 
was  a  leper.  He  pleaded  with  me  to  treat  him  for 
his  horrible  disease ;  his  appeal  was  not  in  vain. 

I  established  a  special  consulting  room  for  the 
treatment  of  the  sick  poor  under  the  care  of  the 
Hindu  Charitable  Association. 

In  February,  1897,  I  established  a  Buddhist 
Girls'  School  in  Thatone.  This  school  I  subse- 
quently made  over  to  the  Buddhist  Association 
and  from  this,  the  Empress  Victoria  Diamond 
Jubilee  Buddhist  Boys'  School  and  the  Empress 


300         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

Victoria  Diamond  Jubilee  Buddhist  Girls'  School 
were  established  by  a  prominent  Buddhist,  Mr. 
Houng,  of  Elgin  House,  Rangoon,  who  was  then 
the  assistant  comptroller  of  Burma. 

The  famine  in  India  and  Burma,  the  epidemic 
of  bubonic  plague  in  Bombay,  then  spreading  to 
other  districts,  and  the  political  unrest  in  Bengal, 
the  North  Western  Provinces  and  the  Punjab,  and 
throughout  Upper  Burma,  demanded  conciliatory 
action  on  the  part  of  the  Government  to  avert  a 
bloody  revolution.  College  students  and  political 
agitators  were  lecturing  and  spreading  sedition 
through  the  leading  Burmese  officials,  magistrates 
and  members  of  the  Bar  were  meeting  in  secret 
council  with  private  citizens  to  discuss  ways  and 
means  "to  throw  off  the  oppressive  and  tyrannical 
yoke  of  a  British  rule,"  in  which,  as  stated  in  a  let- 
ter addressed  by  me  to  my  father  in  1902,  I  held 
them  to  be  victims  of  our  injustice  and  quite 
blameless. 

A  brief  outline  of  the  effect  of  our  short- 
sighted administration  will  suffice  to  justify  my 
action  in  resigning  from  the  Anglican  Church 
Mission  in  Burma  to  espouse  the  cause  of  the  peo- 
ple of  Burma  and  India. 

At  the  close  of  the  last  Burma  war,  1886-7,  a 
royal  proclamation  was  issued  in  the  name  of  the 
Queen-Empress  of  India,  calling  upon  the  people 
to  return  to  their  homes  and  to  their  peaceful 
avocations ;  being  assured  of  the  protection  of  Her 
Imperial  Majesty's  government — enjoyed  by  all 
loyal  subjects  throughout  the  Empire.  Among 
other  things,  the  Burmese  people  were  assured  in 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph         301 

the  name  of  the  Queen-Empress  that  they  would 
not  only  be  permitted  to  enjoy  their  religious 
rights  and  privileges,  whether  Buddhist,  Hindu, 
Mohammedan,  Zoroastrian  or  Christian,  but  that 
their  right  to  worship  according  to  their  religious 
faith  would  be  protected  and  supported  by  the 
Government. 

At  the  time  this  royal  proclamation  was  being 
posted  throughout  the  country,  practically  the  en- 
tire British  and  Indian  army  in  Upper  Burma  was 
located  in  Buddhist  monasteries  from  which  Bud- 
dhist priests  had  been  expelled — sometimes  with- 
out an  hour 's  notice.  Buddhist  temples  were  wan- 
tonly desecrated  and  their  church  properties  con- 
fiscated. 

When  appointed  to  the  command  of  the  head- 
quarters of  the  Burma  military  police  referred 
to  in  a  previous  chapter,  I  was  obliged  to  turn  out 
the  high  priests  and  a  large  number  of  priests 
at  a  moment's  notice  from  the  King's  monasteries 
to  put  my  men  in  them  an  hour  or  so  later.  This 
occurred  weeks  after  the  royal  proclamation  had 
been  issued.  The  above  was  only  one  of  the  hun- 
dreds of  similar  violations  of  the  spirit  and  letter 
of  the  proclamation.  The  thousands  of  troops,  and 
all  the  military  police  drafted  by  me  to  various 
stations  throughout  the  country  for  months  later 
were  placed  in  Buddhist  Monasteries  in  the  same 
manner. 

The  jewels,  gold  and  sacred  emblems  stolen 
from  the  temples  amounted  to  many  lakhs  of 
rupees  and  the  rapacious  and  sacrilegious  acts  of 
desecration  by  so-called  Christian  officials  were 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

only  equalled  by  the  maladministration  of  a  set 
of  incompetent  representatives  of  the  most  pow- 
erful "Christian"  government  on  earth. 

An  inspection  of  the  missionary  schools  and  col- 
leges of  Kangoon,  and  reference  to  the  old  regis- 
ters of  students  will  do  much  to  open  the  eyes  of 
the  Christian  world.  Some  of  these  institutions 
have  six  hundred  students.  During  the  past  forty 
years  thousands  of  half-caste  students  have  gradu- 
ated from  St.  John's  College  alone,  many  of  them 
the  illegitimate  offispring  of  British  officials.  The 
late  president,  the  Rev.  John  E.  Marks,  D.D.,  who 
had  charge  of  St.  John's  for  about  thirty  years 
prior  to  1896,  showed  me  that  many  of  the  greatest 
names  in  the  United  Kingdom  were  on  his  regis- 
ters— the  sons  of  dukes,  earls,  generals  and  so 
forth,  down  to  those  of  the  plebeian  Thomas 
Atkins. 

As  a  rule  scions  of  some  of  the  noble  houses 
of  England  thus  left  with  their  Burmese  mother 
were  allowed  about  ten  dollars  per  month,  and 
on  graduating  from  college  were  put  into  govern- 
ment positions  by  officials,  who  trusted  to  their 
successors  to  do  the  same  for  their  children  in  the 
future,  in  conformity  with  an  unwritten  law  among 
Christian  governors  of  a  Christian  empire.  The 
boys,  like  the  girls,  were  required  to  be  known 
by  a  Burmese  name. 

The  Burmese  official  who  might  have  a  good 
looking  sister  or  daughter  was  slated  for  promo- 
tion on  the  presentation  of  the  damsel  to  his 
superior  "Christian"  officer.  But  the  Burmese 
official  who  would  protect  the  honor  of  his  sisters 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph         303 

or  daughters  not  infrequently  made  a  vacancy  for 
some  more  accommodating  and  aspiring  official. 

There  is  probably  no  more  moral  and  temperate 
people  in  the  world  than  the  Buddhists  of  Burma. 

Where  a  Burmese  maiden  is  taken  to  "wife"  by 
a  British  official,  she  is  faithful  to  the  official, 
which  is  more  than  can  be  said  of  the  official.  It  is 
no  wonder,  therefore,  that  the  intemperate  and  im- 
moral practices  of  nominal  Christians  greatly 
handicap  missionary  effort  in  Asia,  for  what  ap- 
plies to  Burma,  applies  also  to  India  and  other 
parts  of  Asia. 

When  the  official  is  transferred  from  Burma, 
he  can  not,  of  course,  take  his  Burmese  wife  and 
children  with  him  to  Europe. 

Hence  some  provision  as  above  outlined  has 
to  be  made. 

I  have  stated  in  a  previous  chapter  that  famines 
in  India  have  increased  in  frequency  and  severity 
since  the  British  occupation ;  and  have  shown  that 
the  famines  are  due  to  the  combination  of  capital 
and  influence  which  have  rendered  ineffective  the 
best  efforts  of  the  Government  to  improve  the 
economic  conditions  and  to  ameliorate  the  suf- 
ferings of  the  people.  So  long  as  dishonest  and 
barbarous  customs  of  robbery  and  oppression  by 
Christian  merchants  continue  in  Asia,  so  long  will 
missionary  effort  among  the  peoples  of  Asia  con- 
tinue to  be  a  failure.  Moreover,  the  continuance 
of  such  robbery  in  the  name  of  commerce,  by  the 
Christian  world  against  the  Asiatic  races,  must 
inevitably  lead  to  the  most  terrible  war  in  the  his- 
tory of  the  world. 


304         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

The  combined  forces  of  the  Asiatic  alliance,  with 
its  nine  hundred  million  population  to  draw  from, 
will,  within  the  next  few  years,  enforce  a  change  of 
policy,  if  not  of  government  in  the  United  States 
and  Europe. 

When  I  resigned  from  the  Anglican  Church 
Missions  in  Burma,  my  bishop,  the  clergy  and  mis- 
sionaries generally  were  surprised.  When  I  iden- 
tified myself  with  the  Buddhist  Union,  organ- 
ized by  the  assistant  commissioners  of  Thatone, 
Maung  Hpe,  a  nephew  of  Mr.  Houng,  above  re- 
ferred to,  their  consternation  knew  no  bounds.  I 
was  preached  against  in  their  churches  under  the 
text  of  "The  Anti-Christ  Now  in  Our  Midst. " 
Daily  prayers  were  offered  in  the  churches  and 
schools  for  "strength  to  fight  against  him  who 
has  lent  his  aid  to  the  heathen."  That  their 
' i  arms  might  be  strengthened  to  fight  against  him 
who  is  fighting  against  Thee,  0  Lord. ' ' 

This  insane  opposition  spread  rapidly  and  the 
mania  was  contracted  by  the  British  official.  And, 
when  I  caused  the  organization  of  a  Buddhist 
Council  of  Temporalities  to  hold  in  trust  all  Bud- 
dhist temporal  properties,  the  primary  purpose  of 
which  was  to  sue  the  Government  of  India  for  the 
recovery  of  Buddhist  Church  properties  confis- 
cated by  the  local  authorities  as  above  referred  to, 
the  dunderheads  representing  the  Government  of 
the  Queen-Empress  only  saw  in  me  a  future  Em- 
peror of  India.  I  was,  according  to  them,  prepar- 
ing for  a  bloody  revolution  for  no  other  purpose 
than  that  of  self-aggrandisement. 

Having  the  "Burma  head"  (softening  of  the 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph         305 

brain),  they  could  not  see  that  I  was  the  only  loyal 
British  subject  living  up  to  the  spirit  and  letter 
of  the  royal  proclamation,  every  provision  of 
which  they  had  grossly  violated,  holding  the  Brit- 
ish Government  up  to  ridicule  and  bringing  re- 
proach upon  British  honor  and  Christian  senti- 
ment. 

It  was  their  unjust  and  unlawful  oppression  of 
the  people  that  was  responsible  for  the  political 
agitation  at  that  time,  and  which  has  been  respon- 
sible for  the  political  crimes  committed  from  time 
to  time.  In  the  Addenda  will  be  found  extracts 
from  letters  addressed  by  me  to  His  Excellency 
the  Viceroy  and  Governor-General  in  India  and 
to  my  father,  the  late  King  Edward  VII,  on  the 
above  subject,  dated  from  1897  to  1910. 

My  activity  in  the  interests  of  my  country  and 
my  people  gained  for  me  the  good  will  and  unani- 
mous support  of  all  India  and  of  Asia. 

My  growing  popularity,  it  was  considered, 
would  endanger  the  interests  of  those  who  now 
occupy  my  rightful  position,  as  the  head  of  the 
reigning  dynasty  of  the  United  Kingdom  of  Great 
Britain  and  Ireland.  Hence,  the  political  intrigue 
and  infamous  persecution  which  has  followed  me 
for  fifteen  years. 

Some  time  ago,  when  writing  on  this  subject,  I 
stated  what  I  repeat  here,  viz.,  That  when  this 
political  intrigue  was  set  in  motion  against  me,  I 
said — "Time  and  rope  are  the  two  things  neces- 
sary for  my  political  enemies  to  hang  them- 
selves ' ' ;  whereas, i  '  time  and  opportunity  were  the 
only  two  things  necessary  for  me  to  accomplish  my 


306         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

purpose  for  the  emancipation  of  my  long  suffering 
people  of  India  and  Ireland — and  for  the  amelior- 
ation of  the  condition  of  the  people  throughout 
the  United  Kingdom." 

I  have  given  my  political  enemies  all  the  time 
they  wanted,  without  so  much  as  raising  a  dis- 
senting voice  against  the  unjust  persecution  to 
which  I  have  been  subjected.  I  claim  no  special 
credit  for  my  forbearance,  as  to  have  taken  legal 
steps  against  the  injustice  done  me  and  my 
mother  during  the  lifetime  of  my  father,  would 
have  precipitated  a  revolution  in  which  the  coun- 
try at  large  would  have  suffered. 

The  untimely  death  of  my  revered  father  has 
precipitated  my  opportunity,  and  the  prevailing 
political  unrest  in  the  United  Kingdom,  and,  more 
particularly  in  Ireland  and  India,  the  result  of 
unhealthy  economic  conditions  and  the  conse- 
quent distress  and  great  sacrifice  of  life,  makes 
it  my  imperative  duty  to  enforce  the  introduc- 
tion of  measures  for  economic  reform  in  the  in- 
terest of  the  people  and  for  the  peace  of  the  Em- 
pire. 

Eecognizing  the  vital  importance  of  this  duty 
to  my  country,  owing  to  the  far  reaching  effect 
the  said  reforms  will  have  upon  the  empire,  I 
now  submit  to  the  people  of  Great  Britain,  Ire- 
land and  India,  and  to  British  subjects  every- 
where, the  following  excerpt  from  my  letter  of 
10th  January,  1910,  to  my  father. 

My  father  and  King  having  been  taken  from 
us,  it  is  for  the  people  of  the  British  Empire  to 
take  the  necessary  action  thereon.  Justice  to  a 


QUEEN    VICTORIA 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph        307 

loyal  and  faithful  servant  of  the  people  demands 
it;  and  justice  to  the  people  themselves  demands 
it: 

"I  am  about  to  have  published  in  form  of  a 
biographical  sketch  of  my  life  some  particulars 
of  the  results  of  my  researches  and  my  plans  for 
industrial  development  and  economic  reform  in 
the  United  Kingdom  of  Great  Britain  and  Ire- 
land and  India. 

******** 

"As  my  efforts  to  introduce  the  said  measures 
and  to  put  the  same  in  operation  have  been 
quietly,  but  systematically,  opposed  on  political 
grounds,  the  public  being  thereby  deprived  of  the 
benefits  that  would  immediately  accrue  from  the 
inauguration  of  said  operations,  I  am  of  opinion 
that  the  matter  should  be  referred  to  the  people 
of  the  United  Kingdom  and  of  the  Empire,  that 
they  may  judge  as  to  whether  the  peace  and  wel- 
fare of  the  nation  should  be  permitted  to  suffer 
and  the  safety  of  the  Empire  be  jeopardized 
through  political  intrigue  against  an  individual, 
a  loyal  and  faithful  subject,  who  has  given  his  life 
and  sacrificed  his  happiness  to  serve  his  king  and 
his  people. " 

To  fully  appreciate  the  injustice  done  to  the 
people  by  the  suppression  of  my  various  reforms 
through  political  intrigue  and  persecution  against 
me,  reference  should  be  made  to  the  correspon- 
dence reproduced  in  the  Addenda. 

*The  copy  of  this  letter  will  be  found  in  the  Addenda, 


308         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

It  was  my  privilege  to  treat  one  of  the  first 
cases  of  bubonic  plague  in  Bombay  in  1896,  the 
daughter  of  a  Koja  merchant.  My  patient  recov- 
ered. 

See  my  letter  of  4th  February,  1897,  to  the  Vice- 
roy of  India ;  also  excerpt  from  my  letter  of  12th 
December,  1902,  to  my  father,  and  my  letter  of 
17th  June,  1910,  to  my  half-brother,  George,  King 
de  facto,  to  learn  where  the  responsibility  rests 
for  the  bubonic  plague  epidemic  in  1896  and  the 
following  decade,  during  which  time  over  eight 
million  lives  were  sacrificed. 

Reference  should  also  be  made  to  the  corres- 
pondence of  1906  between  myself  and  the  King, 
the  Imperial  Cancer  Research  Fund,  Colonel  A.  J. 
Hills,  and  the  Incorporated  Medical  Practitioners ' 
Association  on  the  subject  of  "The  Guelph  System 
of  Treatment  for  Cancer, ' '  for  the  introduction  of 
which  I  received  the  thanks  of  the  King,  while  the 
professional  clique  suppressed  the  system  without 
any  investigation  whatever. 

Better  that  millions  should  die  from  cancer  than 
that  the  identity  of  Prince  John  of  Great  Britain 
and  Ireland  should  be  brought  so  prominently  be- 
fore the  nation  as  a  servant  of  his  people  by  the 
introduction  of  the  rational  system  of  treatment 
for  the  greatest  scourge  of  mankind. 


CHAPTEE  XXXIV 

I  SAIL  FOE  THE    UNITED    STATES    TO    TKEAT    A    BLIND 

MILLIONAIKE  BUT  FALL  INTO  THE  HANDS  OF  THE 

PHILISTINES  OF  NEW  YOEK 

THE  modern  town  of  Thatone  on  the  Salwein 
river  is  the  site  of  the  ancient  city  of  Soovana- 
boome,  the  capital  of  the  Burmese  Kingdom. 

The  ruins  of  the  walls  of  this  ancient  city  still 
remain.  The  Buddha  Sakyamuni,  according  to  the 
zat-thas  (anterior  birth  stories  of  Buddha)  was 
the  crown  prince  of  that  Kingdom  in  one  of  his 
anterior  existences. 

For  more  than  two  thousand  years  Thatone  has 
been  a  place  of  pilgrimage — the  Mecca  of  Bud- 
dhists. The  first  Buddhist  missionaries  sent  to 
Burma  by  the  Buddhist  Council  of  King  Asoka 
the  Great  were  sent  to  Thatone  in  honor  of  the 
Prince  Sidartha  Sakyamuni. 

In  the  month  of  March,  1897,  it  was  my  privilege 
to  attend  the  annual  festival  in  Thatone,  which 
is  attended  by  many  thousands  of  Buddhists  from 
all  parts  of  the  Buddhist  world. 

The  High  Priest,  U-Thee-la  (the  endowed  one 
or  one  who  has  attained  wisdom),  was  present  at 
the  festival  of  that  year. 

U-Thee-La  was  reverenced  as  a  man  of  God. 
He  lived  in  the  jungles,  sleeping  under  the  trees, 

309 


310         ^Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

partaking  of  the  fruits  and  herbs  of  nature.  He 
was  a  friend  of  the  wild  beasts  of  the  jungle,  there 
being  an  understanding  between  them. 

In  other  words,  tigers,  bears,  elephants,  and 
other  wild  beasts  were  on  friendly  terms  with  this 
holy  man. 

For  over  sixty  years  he  had  lived  thus,  sepa- 
rated from  all  human  habitation. 

While  separated  from  the  world  U-Thee-La 
exercised  great  power  for  good;  the  sick  sought 
his  aid  and  were  restored  to  health  by  his  word 
and  blessing.  Those  who  will  study  the  life  and 
works  of  U-Thee-La  will  be  convinced  of  the  truth 
of  the  statement  made  by  Jesus  of  Nazareth, i  l  The 
things  that  I  do  shall  ye  do  also,  and  greater 
things  shall  ye  do." 

During  the  festival  the  High  Priest,  U-Thee-La, 
camped  in  the  jungles,  according  to  his  custom, 
several  miles  from  the  town.  Accompanied  by 
Moung  Hpe,  the  assistant  commissioner,  Moung 
Hpo,  a  Barrister-at-law,  and  other  representative 
Buddhists,  I  one  day  paid  a  visit  to  the  High 
Priest.  Much  to  the  surprise  of  those  present,  he 
made  obeisance  to  me  and,  addressing  the  assem- 
bly in  Burmese  referred  to  me  according  to  the 
Buddhist  custom,  metaphorically,  as  "The  door 
of  the  church — the  Way. ' ' 

He  then  described  my  work  in  England  in  1894 
and  1895 ;  and  described  places  and  halls  in  which 
I  had  lectured,  and  people  whom  I  had  treated, 
although  he  had  never  been  out  of  Burma.  He  ex- 
plained the  mission  work  in  which  I  was  then  en- 
gaged and  of  my  plans  for  extending  the  same, 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph         311 

but  told  me  that  my  work  would  be  left  to 
others  as  I  would  receive  a  than-cho-sa  (a  cable- 
gram) calling  me  on  a  journey  to  the  West  which 
would  occupy  three  months.  He  also  foretold 
many  things  that  would  happen  to  me  when  in  the 
United  States. 

I  did  not  see  how  any  journey  could  occupy  three 
months,  and  I  had  not  the  remotest  idea  of  leaving 
Burma  at  that  time. 

In  the  month  of  June,  1897,  I  received  a  cable- 
gram calling  me  to  New  York  to  treat  the  blind 
millionaire,  the  late  Charles  Broadway  Bouse.  I 
sailed  from  Eangoon  on  the  30th  of  June,  1897. 

I  had  a  commission  from  a  certain  organization 
to  the  King  of  Siam,  who  was  then  in  London 
attending  the  Diamond  Jubilee  of  Her  late  Majes- 
ty Queen  Victoria.  This  commission  detained  me 
for  some  time  in  England;  but  I  finally  reached 
my  destination  on  the  30th  September,  or  exactly 
three  months  from  the  date  of  my  departure  from 
Burma. 

Many  of  the  things  foretold  by  the  High  Priest 
U-Thee-La  have  been  verified  in  the  same  manner 
as  was  the  predicted  change  in  my  life  from  India 
to  America. 

Previous  to  my  arrival  in  America  I  had  en- 
gaged the  services  of  a  consulting  physician.  This 
gentleman,  as  I  thought,  bore  a  most  estimable 
character  and  was,  supposedly,  a  man  of  such  pub- 
lic prominence  that  I  considered  him  a  great  ac- 
quisition for  the  mission  which  had  brought  me  to 
this  country.  He  was  an  M.  A.,  M.  D.,  the  author 
of  many  books,  the  pastor  of  "The  People's 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

Church,"  president  of  "The  Humanitarian 
League,"  and  lecturer  in  a  large  medical  institu- 
tion which  it  was  said  employed  many  lecturers 
and  physicians. 

I  requested  my  representative,  Dr.  M to  en- 
gage a  room  for  me.  He  placed  a  hall  room  at  my 
disposal  in  his  own  house  at  the  moderate  rental 
of  $10  per  week.  He  was  receiving  rent  from  the 
New  York  Woman's  Hospital,  which  occupied  the 
parlor  floor  and  basement  of  the  house,  during  the 
improvements  then  being  made  in  the  hospital. 
He  was  also  receiving  rent  for  the  upper  floors  of 
the  house.  I  discovered  later  that  in  addition  to 
paying  $45.00  per  month  for  the  hall  room,  as  a 
sub-tenant,  I  was  also  supposed  to  be  the  tenant 
of  the  house,  being  responsible  for  the  rent  of 
$200  per  month;  I  further  learned  that  the  furni- 
ture of  the  whole  house  had  been  purchased  at 
my  expense.  Investigation  revealed  the  fact  that 
the  medical  institution  with  which  my  representa- 
tive was  supposed  to  be  connected  had  never  ex- 
isted, and  that  the  other  concerns,  while  on  paper, 
had  no  standing  whatever. 

The  bubble  burst  and  the  landlord  secured  the 
eviction  of  his  tenants  when  I  exposed  the  fraud. 

Charles  Broadway  Eouss,  the  blind  millionaire, 
sent  his  private  secretary,  a  Mr.  Smith,  to  me  with 
the  information  that  his  substitute  was  at  my  dis- 
posal. He  was  a  poor  blind  man  whom  Kouss  had 
engaged  at  $1.00  per  day,  to  try  the  treatment, 
with  the  promise  of  a  decent  funeral  in  case  he 
should  be  killed  by  any  of  the  many  systems  he 
submitted  to. 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph         313 

The  substitute  informed  me  that  he  had  been 
treated  by  one  hundred  and  eighty-six  quacks  in 
eighteen  months  and  feared  he  could  not  survive 
much  further  punishment. 

I  sent  word  to  the  millionaire  that  I  wanted  no 
dogs  on  which  to  try  poisons.  If  lie  wished  me  to 
treat  him  I  would  do  so,  and  would  do  what  I  could 
for  his  substitute  after  I  had  commenced  on  his 
own  case. 

Beference  to  the  newspaper  files  of  llth  to  15th 
of  October,  1897,  will  show  that  the  New  York 
Press  devoted  much  space  to  this  noted  case,  and 
within  a  week  from  the  time  that  I  took  charge  of 
Broadway  Bouss's  case  had  an  examination  made 
by  their  own  representatives,  who  reported  that 
*  *  a  wonder  had  already  been  worked, ' '  as  when  the 
sight  was  tested  Eouss  could  see  and  describe 
small  objects  between  one  and  two  feet  from  his 
eyes. 

The  improvement  continued  and  within  three 
weeks  Eouss  could  describe  small  objects  between 
three  and  four  feet  away. 

Discovering  later  that  the  millionaire  had  given 
wide  publicity  to  his  case  by  the  offer  of  one  mil- 
lion dollars  to  any  one  who  could  restore  his 
sight  for  the  purpose  of  making  a  few  million  dol- 
lars, and  as  his  private  secretary  informed  me 
that  Eouss  had  no  intention  whatever  of  paying  a 
million  dollars,  as  he  had  not  thought  it  possible 
to  benefit  from  any  treatment,  I  threw  the  case  up. 

The  wide  publicity  given  to  this  case  brought 
the  millionaire  thousands  of  letters  from  the  blind 
and  people  with  failing  sight  from  all  parts  of  the 


314         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

world.  It  was  said  that  his  mail  from  such  people 
exceeded  half  a  ton  in  one  day.  It  was  explained 
to  me  that  a  certain  Chicago  millionaire  had 
agreed  to  pay  one  million  dollars  in  advance  for 
treatment  on  receipt  of  a  letter  from  my  patient 
confirming  the  newspaper  reports  of  the  improve- 
ment in  his  case.  This  letter  my  patient  was  pre- 
pared to  write  on  my  entering  into  partnership 
with  him  on  a  50  per  cent,  basis,  which  I  refused 
to  do  on  the  ground  that  as  my  patient  had  pre- 
viously stated  that  he  did  not  believe  it  possible 
to  benefit  in  any  way  from  my  treatment  he  was 
still  prepared  to  recommend  my  treatment  for 
the  purpose  of  gaining  a  large  sum  of  money. 

As  his  sight  had  actually  been  improved  to  some 
extent  at  that  time  he  could,  of  course,  have  truth- 
fully recommended  my  treatment,  but  this  fact 
did  not  alter  the  lack  of  principle  in  the  motive 
by  which  he  was  actuated  in  the  first  instance. 

Broadway  Eouss  had  agreed  to  pay  me  ten 
thousand  dollars  on  the  least  improvement  of  his 
sight,  and  the  balance  of  the  contingent  fee  of 
one  million  dollars  when  he  could  see  well  enough 
to  walk  about  without  aid.  The  improvement  was 
made,  but  I  did  not  receive  one  penny  from  my 
patient.  I  had  come  to  this  country  from  further 
India  at  my  own  expense,  more  in  the  interest  of 
science  than  for  any  pecuniary  benefit  to  myself, 
but  had  not  counted  upon  the  philistines  into 
whose  hands  I  had  fallen. 


CHAPTER  XXXV 

TRAVELS  IN  THE  INTEREST  OF  SCIENCE 1  GO  TO  CALI- 
FORNIA  IN  THE  EARTHQUAKE  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO 

—I  RETURN  TO  ENGLAND CANCER  RESEARCH 

1      RECEIVE      THE      THANKS      OF      MY 

FATHER,   KING   EDWARD   VII 

I  SAILED  for  Germany  in  April,  1898,  and  crossed 
over  to  London  a  few  weeks  later,  where  I  had 
the  pleasure  of  again  meeting  the  Countess  Con- 
stance Wachmeister,  who  had  previously  gone  to 
New  York  for  the  purpose  of  consulting  me  about 
her  eyes.  As  she  wished  to  continue  the  treatment 
she  followed  me  to  Europe  and  remained  under 
my  care  in  Paris  for  about  three  months. 

I  had  gone  to  Europe  for  the  purpose  of  taking 
a  little  rest.  My  hopes  in  this  matter  were  very 
soon  shattered.  Within  twenty-four  hours  of  my 
arrival  in  Paris  I  was  a  very  busy  man,  having 
a  clientele  which  included  a  number  of  the  royalty 
and  nobility  of  Europe  and  Asia,  this  number 
being  daily  increased  by  patients  from  all  parts 
of  Europe. 

The  Season  of  1898  in  Paris  was  somewhat  ex- 
tended by  some  of  the  fair  patients,  whose  im- 
provement justified  a  few  weeks  longer  stay  in  the 
French  Capital. 

315 


316         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelpli 

After  a  short  tour  through  Europe  I  spent  the 
summer  at  Tunbridge  Wells.  The  winter  of  that 
year  I  spent  in  London  and  returned  to  the  United 
States  in  the  month  of  March,  1899,  when  I  pro- 
ceeded to  California.  I  had  intended  to  have  re- 
turned to  the  Orient,  but  seeing  the  possibilities 
of  the  Golden  West  to  secure  the  necessary  capi- 
tal to  inaugurate  my  various  plans  for  economic 
reform  and  medical  institutions  I  remained  in 
San  Francisco  and  went  into  the  mining  business. 

In  December,  1899,  I  entered  into  partnership 
with  the  celebrated  cancer  specialist,  the  late 
Eev.  George  W.  Carpender,  M.D.,  the  founder 
of  the  rational  medical  treatment  for  cancer.  We 
established  the  International  Polyclinic,  with 
which  was  incorporated  the  Institute  of  Ayurveda. 
Dr.  Carpender  had  been  a  specialist  in  the  treat- 
ment of  cancer  for  forty  years,  and  for  many 
years  enjoyed  an  extensive  practice  in  Chicago, 
patients  being  sent  to  him  from  all  parts  of  the 
country  as  well  as  from  Europe. 

Our  association  in  practice  was  mutually  bene- 
ficial in  that,  while  Dr.  Carpender 's  system  was 
for  the  treatment  of  external  cancer,  my  own  sys- 
tem of  treatment  was  by  internal  medication  and 
external  application,  the  basis  of  which  systems 
I  acquired  during  my  investigation  of  Ayurveda, 
the  ancient  medical  system  of  India.  The  value 
of  these  systems  of  treatment  was  demonstrated 
by  successful  clinical  results  covering  a  period 
of  many  years. 

The  combined  systems  of  Dr.  Carpender  and 
my  own  were  subsequently  submitted  to  the  Im- 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph         317 

perial  Cancer  Eesearch  Fund  in  1906,  under  the 
style  of  "The  Guelph  Sterilization  Cure  for 
Cancer. ' ' 

The  subject  was  also  brought  to  the  notice  of 
His  late  Majesty  King  Edward  VII,  the  Founder 
and  Patron  of  the  Imperial  Cancer  Eesearch 
Fund. 

His  Majesty  thanked  me,  officially,  for  having 
introduced  the  Guelph  Systems;  he  also  com- 
manded that  the  same  be  submitted  to  the  Imperial 
Cancer  Eesearch  Fund. 

I  was  advised  by  physicians  in  London  previ- 
ous to  the  submission  of  these  systems  by  my- 
self and  His  Majesty  the  King  to  the  Imperial 
Cancer  Eesearch  Fund,  that  in  the  event  of  my 
submitting  the  same  they  would  be  suppressed. 
In  the  interest  of  suffering  humanity  and  the 
saving  of  life,  the  correspondence  on  the  subject 
of  the  Guelph  Cancer  Cures  is  reproduced  in  the 
Addenda,  It  will  be  observed  that  the  subject  was 
suppressed  without  even  being  brought  to  the  no- 
tice of  the  General  Council,  thereby  reducing  the 
largest  and  most  important  public  body  engaged 
in  cancer  research  throughout  the  world  to  the 
ridiculous  position  of  a  one-man  institution.  Not- 
withstanding that  the  late  King  Edward  was  the 
Founder  and  Patron  of  the  Imperial  Cancer  Ee- 
search Fund,  the  Prince  of  Wales  the  President 
of  the  organization,  and  many  noblemen  and 
others,  members  of  the  General  Council,  and  that 
the  institution  is  supported  by  millions  of  dollars 
generously  contributed  by  the  public,  the  one  man, 
Dr,  Bashford,  did  not  hesitate  to  assume  personal 


318         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

responsibility  in  suppressing  the  Guelph  Systems 
without  having  made  the  slightest  investigation 
thereof. 

The  annual  reports  of  Dr.  Bashford  in  1906 
and  1907,  stated  that  all  alleged  cures  brought  be- 
fore the  Imperial  Cancer  Eesearch  Fund  had  been 
"submitted  to  impartial  tests  and  that  no  curative 
value  could  be  attached  to  any  of  them. ' '  In  view 
of  tjie  fact  that  the  Guelph  Systems  had  been 
submitted  in  the  regular  manner  with  the  request 
that  the  same  be  submitted  to  "impartial  tests" 
in  the  treatment  of  cancer,  the  reports  quoted 
were  obviously  misleading  and  incorrect. 

The  public  was  further  informed  that  our  pres- 
ent knowledge  of  cancer  did  not ' i  even  justify  the 
hope  of  a  new  cure";  and  the  public  was  further 
cautioned  against  making  any  attempt  to  save  the 
lives  of  any  of  the  hundreds  of  thousands  of  vic- 
tims of  cancer  by  any  system  of  treatment  that  is 
not  endorsed  by  that  one-man  institution.  Thus  it 
is  that  the  credulity  of  the  public  is  played  upon, 
and  the  victims  of  one  of  the  greatest  scourges 
of  the  earth  are  left  to  suffer  and  die  through 
prejudice  and  bias  against  the  discoverer  and 
founder  of  a  cure  for  no  other  reason  than  that, 
having  been  robbed  of  his  birthright  as  the  eldest 
legitimate  son  of  the  King,  it  was  not  desired  that 
honor  should  be  done  him  lest  the  people  should 
discover  the  true  facts  concerning  his  legitimate 
rights  as  the  first  Prince  of  the  Eeigning  House 
and  demand  that  he  be  given  his  lawful  hereditary 
right. 

Great  Britain  was   always  just  and  firm  in   a 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guclph         319 

righteous  cause  and  to  know  the  truth  would  be 
to  act  with  the  people.  Thus  my  half-brother, 
George,  could  not  afford  to  have  me  become  too 
widely  known  and  his  flunkey  in  office,  naturally, 
stood  by  him. 

But  I  ask  the  British  public  of  to-day,  Shall  this 
infamous  condition  of  things  go  on?  Will  you  per- 
mit the  work  and  research  of  years  in  the  cause  of 
the  saving  of  life  to  be  thus  cast  aside?  Will  you 
see  fair  play  in  this  fight  for  the  welfare  and  lives 
of  my  people,  and  that  I  receive  just  treatment 
and  a  fair  hearing  of  and  concerning  my  rights  as 
the  heir-at-law  of  my  father,  the  late  King  Edward 
VII?  I  have  unimpeachable  evidence  to  show  and 
the  people  have  a  right  to  see  and  hear  me;  Par- 
liament should  investigate  my  case  without  preju- 
dice or  bias,  such  as  was  shown  in  the  disposition 
of  the  case  of  George  IV  and  Mrs.  Fitzherbert, 
which  case  was  suppressed  by  infamous  lies  to  the 
lasting  shame  and  dishonor  of  the  British  Par- 
liament and  to  the  British  nation. 

It  should  also  be  stated  that  in  consequence  of 
my  having  received  the  information  above  re- 
ferred to,  to  the  effect  that  my  system  for  the 
treatment  of  canoer  and  other  diseases  would  be 
suppressed  by  the  Imperial  Cancer  Eesearch 
Fund,  I  also  submitted  particulars  of  the  said  sys- 
tems to  the  Incorporated  Medical  Practitioners' 
Association  in  London  through  the  official  solici- 
tor of  that  organization,  Colonel  Arthur  J.  Hills 
of  Messrs.  Burgess,  Cosens  &  Co.  Eeference  to 
the  correspondence  between  myself,  Colonel  Hills 
and  the  secretary  of  the  Incorporated  Medical 


320         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  GuelpTi 

Practitioners'  Association,  reproduced  in  the 
Addenda,  speaks  for  itself.  As  stated  therein 
it  is  my  purpose  to  establish  medical  institu- 
tions in  England  as  and  when  my  financial  cir- 
cumstances admit,  and  to  challenge  the  organiza- 
tions above  referred  to,  by  the  treatment  of  cancer, 
consumption,  and  other  forms  of  tuberculosis  in 
the  proposed  institutions. 

It  was  for  the  above  purpose  that  I  have  inter- 
ested myself  in  my  late  mining  and  other 
business. 

Practical  demonstration  of  the  value  of  said 
systems  is  the  most  convincing  method  by  which 
to  command  both  professional  and  public  recog- 
nition and  to  silence  my  traducers. 

In  the  year  1902,  having  acquired  valuable  min- 
ing interests  in  California  by  which  I  thought  it 
possible  to  not  only  establish  a  large  medical  in- 
stitution, but  also  to  introduce  my  proposed  in- 
dustrial development  in  India,  I  addressed  a  paper 
on  the  latter  subject  to  my  father  and  further  com- 
munications to  him,  and,  also  to  the  India  office 
and  to  the  press  in  India,  in  1903. 

A  limited  liability  company  was  organized  for 
the  purpose  of  carrying  out  this  commercial  enter- 
prise, extracts  from  the  prospectus  of  which  com- 
pany, as  well  as  from  correspondence  on  the  sub- 
ject, will  be  found  in  the  Addenda. 

The  development  of  this  enterprise  was  delayed 
through  political  intrigue  and  interference  of  in- 
terested parties.  The  plan  had  received  the  most 
enthusiastic  and  unanimous  support  of  the  press 
and  authorities  throughout  India. 


Memoirs   of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

In  the  month  of  March,  1906,  I  had  acquired  the 
rights  of  an  improved  and  valuable  system  for 
generating  power  from  the  current  of  streams;  a 
system  which  had  been  favorably  reported  upon 
by  a  London  engineer  who  had  been  engaged  in 
the  construction  of  the  Egyptian  barrages,  as  the 
best  suited  for  the  Nile  and  for  the  canal  systems 
of  irrigation  in  India. 

I  had  already  arranged  to  proceed  to  London 
in  accordance  with  the  terms  of  my  agreement 
with  the  Current  Power  Company  in  the  month 
of  April,  when  all  models,  current  motors,  pumps 
and  other  machinery  were  destroyed  by  the  con- 
flagration following  the  earthquake  of  San  Fran- 
cisco on  the  18th  of  April,  1906. 

My  departure  for  London  was  delayed  until  the 
month  of  July  in  consequence  of  the  heavy  losses 
sustained  through  that  catastrophe. 

The  experience  of  the  San  Francisco  earthquake 
and  fire  of  1906,  in  which  many  lives  were  lost, 
about  300,000  people  rendered  homeless  by  the  de- 
struction of  the  city,  and  causing  a  loss  of  $600,- 
000,000  in  property,  was  one  never  to  be  forgotten. 

Having  volunteered  my  services  to  the  Health 
Department  and  to  the  General  Belief  Commit- 
tees, my  duties  took  me  to  various  parts  of  the 
city  during  and  after  the  conflagration  and  af- 
forded me  opportunities  to  observe  the  efficient 
work  of  both  the  military  and  civil  authorities 
under  the  most  trying  circumstances. 

The  expedition  with  which  so  large  a  body  of 
homeless  people  were  formed  into  various  camps 
nnd  amply  provided  for,  was  most  commendable 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

to  the  officers  of  the  Local  and  Federal  Govern- 
ment, and,  also  to  citizens  of  the  United  States 
who  responded  so  promptly  to  the  urgent  need 
of  that  afflicted  city. 

One  of  the  most  noteworthy  instances  of 
thoughtful  and  noble  generosity  was  that  of  Mr. 
William  Randolph  Hearst's  Emergency  Maternity 
Home. 

When  it  is  realized  that  about  182  women  were 
delivered  on  the  streets  of  San  Francisco,  many 
of  them  prematurely  as  a  result  of  shock,  within 
a  few  hours  after  the  earthquake,  the  importance 
of  this  institution  is  apparent. 

Mr.  W.  E.  Hearst  not  only  converted  his  Oak- 
land residence  into  a  Maternity  Home,  but  also 
had  other  buildings  constructed  for  the  same  pur- 
pose. He  also  sent  in  train-loads  of  provisions, 
dress  materials  of  all  descriptions,  and  sewing  ma- 
chines. In  addition  to  the  vast  sums  of  money  ex- 
pended in  various  directions,  that  gentleman  also 
set  aside  the  sum  of  $100  for  each  and  every 
infant  born  in  his  Maternity  Home.  In  this  man- 
ner the  best  medical  attention  and  care  was  af- 
forded to  over  1,200  mothers  and  infants  who, 
under  the  terrible  conditions  prevailing  at  that 
time,  would  otherwise,  no  doubt,  have  suffered 
severely  or  perished. 

The  records  of  the  institution  show  that  not  a 
mother  or  a  child  was  lost. 

The  Nursing  Sisters  of  San  Francisco  were  also 
worthy  of  the  highest  praise  for  their  heroic  and 
untiring  service  at  the  fire  lines,  in  caring  for  the 
injured  firemen  and  other  fire-fighters,  sometimes 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph        323 

carrying  them  a  distance  of  several  hundred  yards 
to  safety  between  columns  of  fire  and  over  burning 
debris.  Many  society  ladies  also  joined  in  this 
heroic  work  of  rescue  at  great  personal  inconveni- 
ence and  danger,  conveying  the  injured  in  their 
motor-cars  and  other  vehicles  to  the  hospitals  and 
other  places  of  safety. 

The  mementos  of  this  catastrophe  which  I  prize 
very  highly  are  the  following  letters  of  thanks 
from  the  General  Eelief  Committee  for  services 
I  was  able  to  render  the  city,  of  which  I  had  so 
long  been  a  guest,  and  my  Pass  through  the  lines. 

Headquarters  of 
BERKELEY  EELIEF  COMMITTEE 

Mason  McDuffie  Office,  Center  St.  and  ShattuckAve. 

Berkeley,  Cal.,  April  28th,  1910. 
Executive  Staff: 

The  Mayor,  Mr.  T.  E.  Eickard,  Inter.  Municipal 
Dept. 

Commissary,  Prof.  E.  E.  Brown. 

Finance,  Mr.  F.  M.  Wilson. 

Distribution  of  Eefugees,  Duncan  McDuffie. 

Chinese  and  Japanese,  Prof.  J.  H.  Fryer. 

Health  and  Sanitation,  Dr.  G.  F.  Eeinhardt. 

Clothing,  tenting,  etc.,  Eev.  J.  H.  Lathrope. 

Housing  and  Camps,  Victor  Eobertson. 

My  Dear  Doctor :  • 

On  behalf  of  the  Berkeley  Board  of  Health,  I 
want  to  extend  to  you  our  most  hearty  thanks  for 
the  service  which  you  have  done  us  in  this  trying 
time.  Personally,  it  has  been  most  gratifying  to 


324         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

have  the  work,  which  you  undertook,  so  well  car- 
ried out. 

The  Eelief  Committee  wishes  me  to  express  its 
appreciation  of  the  service  which  you  have 
rendered. 

It  is  to  be  hoped  in  our  lifetime  it  will  not 
be  necessary  for  us  to  contribute  our  assistance  in 
so  great  a  calamity. 

Sincerely  yours, 

(Signed)   G.  F.  EEINHAEDT. 
J.  G.  NOKMAN, 
Berkeley,  Gal. 

To  the  Civil  and  Military  Authorities: 

Pass  Dr.  John  Guelph-Norman  through 
all  lines  within  your  jurisdiction. 

(Signed)  DE.  E.  BINE. 

Chief  Ass't  Sanitary  Officer  in  Charge  Golf 
Links  and  Eichmond  District 


CHAPTER  XXXVI 

BUSINESS   IN    NEW    YOKK — I    FOUND   THE 

STATIST  "•  —INTEREST  MYSELF  IN  AMERICAN  POLI- 
TICS— A    LADY     OF     WORTH THE  AMERICAN 

LEGISLATIVE     UNION — PUBLIC     HEALTH 

SOCIETY  TO  RAISE  THE  STANDARD  OF 

THE  PUBLIC  HEALTH 

IN  December,  1909,  I  came  to  New  York,  in 
the  interest  of  the  Current  Power  Company  of 
Tacoma,  Washington,  with  which  I  had  been  as- 
sociated since  March,  1903,  and  also  in  the  interest 
of  large  irrigation  and  colonization  projects  on 
the  Pacific  Coast  in  which  I  had  interested  Mr.  E. 
H.  Harriman  and  others. 

In  the  early  part  of  1909  I  established  The 
American  Statist,  a  journal  of  international 
finance,  industrial  development  and  commercial 
expansion. 

From  one  of  my  editorials  in  the  first  number, 
the  following  is  quoted: 

"In  the  creation  of  The  American  Statist*  do- 
signed  to  be,  like  our  London  contemporary,  The 
Statist,  a  conservative  and  authoritative  interna- 


*The  American  Statist,  July  17,  1909. 

325 


326         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

tional  financial  journal,  the  aim  and  purpose  of  the 
founder  and  management  is  to  publish  in  the  inter- 
est of  the  financial  world  a  reliable  statistical, 
critical  and  analytical  review.  .  .  .  The  American 
Statist  is  conducted  under  conservative  manage- 
ment, the  bulwark  of  our  British  house ;  and  pro- 
gressive policy,  the  secret  of  American  financial 
success. 

"Commercial  expansion  on  legitimate  lines  of 
healthful  competition  and  the  sealing  of  friendly 
relations  between  all  nations  by  creating  and 
maintaining  friendly  and  equitable  commercial 
relations  between  all  centers  of  Occidental  and 
Oriental  civilization  is  the  only  means  whereby  in- 
ternational peace  can  be  permanently  established. 

"Monopoly  is  the  bloody  historian  of  the 
world's  history  of  war,  slavery,  famine  and  pesti- 
lence, the  plunderer  and  wholesale  assassin  in  the 
name  of  commerce,  civilization  and  Christianity." 

With  a  view  to  advancing  my  policy  for  the  es- 
tablishment of  international  peace  on  the  lines  of 
equity  and  justice  in  our  domestic  and  foreign 
commerce,  as  outlined  in  the  foregoing  quotation 
from  my  article  in  The  American  Statist,  and, 
realizing  that  the  maintenance  of  national  peace 
is  of  paramount  importance,  and  the  only  founda- 
tion upon  which  we  can  hope  to  construct  inter- 
national peace,  I  prevailed  upon  an  American  or- 
ganization to  establish  The  American  Legislative 
Union. 

The  object  of  the  organization  as  introduced 
by  me  was  as  follows : 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 
AMERICAN   LEGISLATIVE   UNION 

(A  Political  Censor  for  Constitutional  Government.) 

The  American  Legislative  Union  is  a  national 
nominative  and  elective  organization  for  the  per- 
petuation of  the  national  legislature  consistent 
with  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States  of 
America  and  of  the  national  motto,  "In  God  We 
Trust, ' '  and,  to  that  end : 

1.  To  conduct  a  continuous  political  campaign 
to  secure  the  nomination  and   election   of   candi- 
dates for  State  and  National   Legislatures    who 
possess  qualifications  calculated  to  serve  the  best 
interests  of  the  nation  by  faithful  adherence  to  the 
spirit  and  letter  of  the  Constitution,  irrespective 
of  the  political  party  or  parties  to  which  the  can- 
didates may  belong. 

2.  To  secure  the  enactment  of  legislative  meas- 
ures to  provide  for  the  proper  conduct  of  any 
and  all  matters  most  favorable  to  the  advance- 
ment of  national  prosperity  and  permanent  good 
of  the  people. 

Mrs.  Alma  Webster  Powell,  one  of  the  most  bril- 
liant and  public-spirited,  and  also  one  of  the  most 
beautiful  ladies  in  New  York,  a  graduate  in  Law, 
Music,  and  other  subjects  of  the  Columbia  Uni- 
versity, very  kindly  accepted  the  presidency  of 
the  American  Legislative  Union.  Her  efficiency 
as  an  executive  officer  is  practically  demonstrated 
by  the  great  success  which  attended  the  work  of 
the  organization  during  the  season  of  1909-1910. 

Mrs.  Alma  Webster    Powell    further    compli- 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

merited  me  by  carrying  out  my  plans  for  the  es- 
tablishment of  a  Public  Health  Society,  on  the 
lines  adopted  for  my  international  campaign  in  the 
interest  of  the  public  health,  as  quoted  below.  It 
was  decided  that  the  local  organization  under  Mrs. 
Alma  Webster  Powell  should  be  incorporated  un- 
der the  name  of  the  Public  Good  Society. 

The  Society,  the  headquarters  of  which  are  at 
the  home  of  Mrs.  Alma  Webster  Powell,  on  Presi- 
dent street,  Brooklyn,  New  York,  had  a  most  suc- 
cessful season  in  1909-1910. 

It  has  now  a  membership  of  over  one  thousand 
of  the  most  influential  ladies  and  gentlemen  of 
New  York,  and  did  much  good  among  the  sick 
poor. 

The  great  success  which  attends  Mrs.  Powell's 
public  work  must  be  attributed  to  her  accomplish- 
ments both  as  a  prima  donna  of  unusual  brilliancy 
and  as  a  public  speaker,  and  also  to  her  personal 
charm  and  beauty  and  wonderful  vivacity. 

The  international  work  of  the  Public  Health  So- 
city,  of  which  the  American  organization  is  the 
offspring,  is  conducted  separately  from  that  of  the 
American  corporation. 

PUBLIC  HEALTH  SOCIETY. 

(Founded  by  Prince  John  De  Guelph.) 
Brooklyn,  New  York. 

A  nation  in  arms  fighting  for  existence  is  irre- 
sistible. Tuberculosis  and  cancer  claim  over  fifty 
million  victims  in  each  decade.  The  national  foe 
demands  national  resistance. 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph         329 

Our   Demand   for   Legislative   Measures    in   the 
Interest  of  the  Public  Health. 

Becognizing  that  the  most  important  duty  of  the 
Legislature  is  to  raise  the  standard  of  the  public 
health,  and,  that  the  Legislature,  in  order  to  suc- 
cessfully perform  this  national  duty,  should  have 
the  support  of  the  public;  and,  further,  that  or- 
ganized cooperation  of  public  bodies  is  the  most 
effective  means  of  supporting  the  Government,  the 
Public  Health  Society  is  established  for  the  pur- 
pose of  promoting  the  public  health  as  an 
auxiliary  to  State  and  National  Legislatures,  the 
Public  Health  Department  and  other  institutions, 
and  to  that  end : 

I.  To  secure  the  introduction  of  legislative 
measures  to  provide  for  the  promotion  of  the  pub- 
lic health  and  the  prevention  of  disease,  more  par- 
ticularly for  the  prevention  and  treatment  of  tu- 
berculosis and  cancer;  and,  for  the  proper  con- 
duct of  any  and  all  matters  most  favorable  to 
the  advancement  of  national  prosperity  and  per- 
manent good  of  the  people. 

First  bills  to  be  introduced  to  State  and  Na- 
tional Legislatures  are  as  follows : 

1.  Bills  to  provide  for  the  introduction  of  edu- 
cational and  clinical  measures  for  the  prevention 
and  treatment  of  tuberculosis  and  cancer. 

Educational  measures  in  the  public  schools  for 
the  instruction  in  hygiene,  sanitary  science,  toxi- 
cology and  allied  subjects. 

For  the  establishment  of  lecture  bureaus  and 
classes  for  instruction  to  residents  of  the  tene- 


830         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  GuelpU 

ment  districts,  factory  workers  and  to  the  gen- 
eral public. 

For  the  appointment  of  health  and  sanitary 
commissions  to  enforce  legislative  measures  for 
the  prevention  of  tuberculosis  and  for  the  promo- 
tion and  maintenance  of  the  public  health. 

For  the  establishment  of  municipal  and  State 
sanatoriums  for  the  proper  care  and  treatment  of 
all  classes  suffering  from  tuberculosis  or  cancer. 

2.  Bills  to  provide    for    the    introduction    of 
measures  for  the  rational  solution  of  the  liquor 
problem. 

3.  Medical  Jurisprudence.     Bills    to    provide 
for  the  more  general  recognition  of  medical  juris- 
prudence   in    the    Legislature;    to    provide    for 
the  elucidation  of  judicial  questions  by  the  prac- 
tical application  of  forensic    medicine    and    in- 
stitutional   treatment,    in   conformity   with  phy- 
siological and  humane  principles,  in  the  adjudi- 
cation of  cases  in  which  a  breach  of  the  peace  or 
infringement  of  the  law  may  be  caused  by,  or  at- 
tributed to  a  manifestation  of  abnormal  or  patho- 
logical data  of  a  psycho-physical  nature  in  ac- 
cused persons,  as  in  the  habitual  drunkard,  tech- 
nically chronic  alcoholic  mania,  the  neurosis  and 
psychoses  of  alcoholism  and  other  narcomanias, 
and  as  provided  for  in  the  " Inebriates  Act"  of 
Great  Britain  providing  for  institutional  treat- 
ment of  chronic  alcoholic  subjects,  in  the  place  of 
the  old  " penal  act"  which,  the  Home  Secretary 
declared,  had  "utterly  failed  in  its  purpose." 

II.     To  establish  and  maintain  separate  bureaus 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph         331 

for  the  systematic  development  of  the  various  ob- 
jects of  the  Public  Health  Society. 

Propaganda. — Recognizing  the  great  responsi- 
bility of  the  physician  as  a  moral  teacher,  physi- 
cians will  be  appointed  as  lecturers  by  the  Public 
Health  Society  in  every  town  and  city  at  home 
and  abroad. 

Lectures. — Territorial  lecture  circuits  will  be 
established  and  regular  public  lectures  arranged 
for  in  all  towns  of  importance. 

High  class  musical  programmes  will  be  ar- 
ranged in  order  to  make  the  work  both  instructive 
and  entertaining  and  for  general  social  improve- 
ment. 

Classes. — Classes  will  be  organized  and  con- 
ducted under  the  auspices  of  the  Public  Health 
Society  for  the  purpose  of  imparting  instruction 
to  mothers  in  the  care  of  themselves  and  children, 
domestic  science,  social  hygiene,  and  all  matters 
treating  on  the  preservation  of  health. 

Classes  for  young  women  to  be  conducted  by 
physicians,  nurses  and  others. 

Classes  for  young  men  will  also  be  conducted 
by  physicians  and  others  authorized  thereto. 

The  propaganda  will  embrace  measures  for  the 
prevention  of  tuberculosis  and  cancer  and  other 
diseases  of  remote  origin. 

III.  Measures  for  the  prevention  of  alcoholism 
and  for  the  amelioration  of  other  degenerating 
conditions  resulting  from  abnormal  sociological 
influences. 

Psycho -Physical  Laboratory. — This  department 
is  established  for  the  purpose  of  promoting  the 


832         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

practical  application  of  physiological  psychology 
to  abnormal  or  pathological  data  in  the  insane, 
criminals,  inebriates,  and  in  defective  classes  gen- 
erally, in  asylums  for  the  insane,  prisons,  hospi- 
tals and  other  institutions,  and  in  social  com- 
munities. 

Sanatoria. — To  establish  and  maintain  sana- 
toria at  various  centers  for  the  treatment  of  per- 
sons of  all  classes  suffering  from  tuberculosis  or 
cancer  and  for  the  treatment  of  all  diseases  known 
to  be  pre-disposing  causes  of  tuberculosis  and 
cancer. 

To  establish  one  or  more  tent  cities  in  Califor- 
nia, Colorado  and  in  other  places  where  the  cli- 
matic conditions  are  most  favorable  to  the  recov- 
ery of  patients  suffering  from  the  diseases 
specified. 

The  work  of  the  Sanatoria  to  be  made  self- 
supporting.  Profits  accruing  from  the  medical 
department,  donations,  endowments  and  bequests, 
to  be  devoted  to  the  treatment  and  relief  of  the 
sick  poor  and  for  the  extension  of  propaganda 
at  home  and  abroad. 

The  sick  poor  will  not  be  placed  in  the  humiliat- 
ing position  of  charity  cases,  but  will  receive  the 
benefit  of  medical  treatment  and  such  financial 
and  material  aid  as  may  be  necessary  to  their 
recovery  and  to  assist  them  to  help  themselves. 
The  cost  of  treatment  and  advances  that  may  be 
made  to  those  in  temporary  need  may  be  refunded 
by  them  at  their  convenience,  with  the  exception 
of  extreme  cases  that  may  require  permanent  aid. 

Literary   Department. — This    department    will 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

compile  for  publication  authoritative  data  on  the 
subjects  treated  upon  by  the  Society  from  the 
results  of  researches  in  various  countries,  from 
the  clinical  experience  of  medical  officers  of  the 
Public  Health  Society,  from  the  records  of  public 
institutions  and  other  authorities. 

The  official  organ  and  other  literature  of  the 
Public  Health  Society  will  constitute  a  most  valu- 
able feature  of  the  propaganda  for  the  alleviation 
of  suffering,  the  saving  of  life,  and  the  improve- 
ment of  the  race. 

They  who  would  be  free  from  tuberculosis  must 
themselves  strike  the  blow. 

Your  cooperation  is  invited  in  this  national  cam- 
paign against  the  national  foe. 


CHAPTER  XXXVII 

CONCLUSION 

IN  closing  this  narrative  of  the  history  of  my 
birth  and  of  my  life's  work  and  research  in  the 
interest  of  the  Empire  and  for  the  good  of  hu- 
manity, I  beg  to  tender  my  thanks  to  my  many 
faithful  friends  and  loyal  supporters  throughout 
the  Empire  and  also  to  the  Press  and  to  the  peo- 
ple of  the  United  States  for  the  many  courtesies 
extended  to  me  during  the  twelve  years  of  my  resi- 
dence in  this  country,  and,  more  particularly,  for 
the  many  letters  of  condolence  and  expression  of 
sentiments  of  sympathy,  friendship  and  loyalty 
received  by  me  from  all  parts  of  the  Empire  and 
of  the  United  States. 

I  am  especially  indebted  to  the  New  York 
American,  The  New  York  Tribune,  The  New  York 
Times,  The  New  York  Herald,  The  New  York 
Journal,  The  New  York  World,  The  Brooklyn 
Eagle,  The  Boston  American,  The  San  Francisco 
Examiner,  The  Los  Angeles  Examiner,  The  New 
York  Stoats  Zeitung  and  other  papers.  First,  for 
the  great  courtesy  extended  to  me  by  the  first 
three  papers  above  mentioned,  at  the  time  of  the 
serious  illness  and  death  of  my  father,  the  late 
King  Edward  VII,  by  having  had  transmitted  to 

334 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

me  by  telephone,  each  successive  bulletin  report- 
ing my  father's  condition  immediately  upon  the 
receipt  of  the  same  over  their  private  wires  from 
London. 

Secondly,  for  the  courtesy  extended  to  me  by 
all  the  above  mentioned  papers  and  the  Press 
throughout  the  United  States  for  the  favorable 
mention  of  the  various  political  messages  and 
documents  forwarded  by  me  to  the  British  Par- 
liament, the  Prime  Minister,  and  to  my  half- 
brother,  George,  and  also  for  their  plain  statement 
of  my  case  through  their  columns  whereby  my 
rightful  position  as  the  eldest  legitimate  son  of 
the  late  King  Edward  and  the  first  Princess  Con- 
sort has  been  made  known  throughout  the  civil- 
ized world. 

The  importance  and  value  of  the  services  ren- 
dered to  me  by  the  Press  in  telephoning  the  bulle- 
tins to  me  as  the  same  were  received  will  be  better 
understood  from  the  fact  that  it  was  due  to  that 
courtesy  that  I  was  enabled  to  send  my  last  mes- 
sage by  cable  through  George  and  the  Prime 
Minister  in  time  to  reach  Buckingham  Palace  some 
hours  previous  to  my  father's  death. 

I  have  stated  in  an  earlier  part  of  these  Memoirs 
that  my  sensitive  nature  has  suffered  much 
through  the  secret  sorrow  of  my  life  which  I  have 
been  obliged  to  bear  in  silence.  This  suffering 
has  increased  as  years  have  passed  by,  and  my 
every  effort  to  demand  that  due  honor  be  paid  to 
my  mother  by  the  nation  was  quietly  but  sys- 
tematically opposed  and  the  knowledge  that  she, 
the  legal  wife  and  rightful  Queen  of  England,  was 


336         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

growing  prematurely  old  under  the  burden  of  a 
broken  heart,  through  the  political  intrigue  insti- 
gated by  those  whose  representatives  have  dogged 
my  steps  through  Europe,  Asia,  and  America,  and 
also  that  through  the  same  political  intrigue  my 
every  effort  to  give  to  my  country  the  results  of 
my  life's  work  have  been  likewise  secretly  sup- 
pressed, notwithstanding  the  recognition  and  sup- 
port accorded  to  me  by  my  father. 

But  all  the  secret  sorrow  and  suffering  of  my 
life,  too  great  to  be  expressed  in  words,  was  as 
nothing  to  be  compared  to  the  torture  and  agony 
of  mind  when  I  realized  that,  notwithstanding  all 
my  personal  efforts,  all  my  prayers,  and  all  en- 
treaties to  my  father,  the  last  of  which  under  date 
of  April  10th,  1910,  will  be  found  in  the  Addenda, 
my  father  was  not  only  passing  from  this  life  with- 
out paying  proper  honor  to  his  first  and  lawful 
wife,  my  mother,  but  that  he  was  passing  away 
while  I,  separated  from  him  by  thousands  of  miles, 
was  unable  to  see  him  during  his  last  days  on 
earth  to  demand  justice  for  my  mother,  myself 
and  the  nation. 

I  had  foreseen  the  approaching  dissolution  of 
my  father  and  called  his  attention  thereto  in  my 
cablegram  of  November  9th,  1909,  in  my  usual 
birthday  greeting,  which  was  as  follows: 

'  i  My  filial  affection  deepens  as  each  anniversary 
brings  us  nearer  to  God." 

Eealizing  during  the  present  year  the  shortness 
of  time  that  my  father  had  to  live,  I  wrote: 

"Should  it  not  be  the  will  of  God  that  we  should 
be  so  blessed  on  earth  (that  we  may  enjoy  in  our 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph         337 

maturer  years  the  affection  and  companionship  of 
father  and  son,  of  son  and  father,  that  personal 
affection  and  companionship  so  long  denied  to  us 
by  the  intervention  of  a  cruel  fate),  we  know  that 
in  a  few  short  years  at  most  we  will  meet  with 
those  of  our  race  who  have  gone  before,  where  we 
will  stand,  equal  before  the  King  of  Kings — father 
and  son  and  mother!  No  more  will  a  false  and  un- 
holy custom  permit  of  our  separation  as  in  this 
so-called  Christian  world." 

As  in  the  last  years  of  his  life  and  during  his 
fatal  illness,  so,  too,  in  death,  I  was  unable  to  be 
present  to  pay  the  last  honors  of  a  son  to  father. 
Separated  by  the  broad  expanse  of  the  Atlantic 
Ocean,  my  only  consolation  was  in  attending  the 
funeral  service  held  at  St.  Paul's  Church  in  New 
York  City. 


Was  the  discarded  wife,  the  rightful  Queen  of 
England — my  mother — permitted  to  view  the  re- 
mains of  her  husband — my  father,  the  King,  who, 
moved  by  a  false  sense  of  duty  to  the  nation  and 
the  coercion  of  his  mother,  had  discarded  both  wife 
and  child? 

It  is  for  me  to  discover  and  reveal  to  the  civil- 
ized world  the  identity  of  the  "mysterious,  veiled 
lady  in  black,"  who,  I  am  reliably  informed,  pre- 
sented herself  at  Buckingham  Palace,  attired  in 
deepest  mourning  and  bowed  with  grief,  and  re- 
quested that  she  might  be  permitted  to  view  the 
remains  of  the  King. 

Upon  her  request  being  refused  and  being  or- 


338          Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

dered  from  the  Palace,  it  is  said  that  she  de- 
manded and  obtained  an  audience  with  the  Dowa- 
ger Queen  Alexandra,  and  that  upon  her  reveal- 
ing her  identity  she  was  received  with  deference 
and  permitted  to  remain  alone  with  her  dead. 

It  has  been  intimated  to  me  that  the  lady  in 
question  was  none  other  than  the  first  Princess 
Consort,  my  mother. 

If  the  publication  of  my  Memoirs  will  lead  to 
the  adoption  of  the  reforms  to  which  I  have  re- 
ferred for  the  improvement  of  the  condition  of 
the  people  of  Ireland  and  India  in  particular,  and 
of  the  British  Empire  and  of  the  world  in  general, 
my  personal  sacrifice  of  all  that  life  holds  dear- 
home,  and  the  birthright  of  every  creature,  the 
love,  care,  and  protection  of  father  and  mother, 
will  not  have  been  in  vain.  Half  a  century  wan- 
dering over  the  face  of  the  earth  in  search  of 
knowledge  has  been  patiently  and  silently  pursued 
by  me  in  the  hope  that  my  Heavenly  Father,  the 
King  of  Kings,  would,  in  due  time,  defend  the 
right  and  establish  justice  in  the  interest  of  my 
people  and  for  the  peace  of  the  world. 

DIEU  ET  MON  DROIT. 

MAY  GOD  DEFEND  THE  EIGHT. 


ADDENDA 


ADDENDA 

The  following  copies  of  correspondence  and  photographic  re- 
production of  telegrams  and  letters  between  the  Prince  John 
and  his  father,  the  late  King  Edward  VII;  with  his  half- 
brother,  the  de  facto  King  George,  and  Premier  Asquith,  and 
other  Members  of  the  Houses  of  Lords  and  Commons,  prior  to 
and  following  King  Edward's  death;  and  with  the  various 
Departments  of  Government  Service  covering  a  period  of 
many  years  afford,  even  to  the  person  of  ordinary  intelligence, 
conclusive  evidence  of  the  legal  and  official  recognition  and 
protection  accorded  to  Prince  John  by  his  father,  the  King, 
as  the  direct  legitimate  issue  of  the  House  of  Guelph. 

The  fact  that  since  1893-4,  when  the  identity  of  Prince  John 
was  first  officially  recognized  by  his  father,  his  relationship 
as  the  eldest  legitimate  son  of  King  Edward  has  been  univer- 
sally known  through  the  wide  publicity  given  to  the  same,  and 
is  in  itself  prima  facia  evidence  that  it  was  the  will  and  pleas- 
ure of  the  late  King  that  Prince  John  should  be  honored  as 
his  legitimate  son  and  heir-at-law. 

If  further  evidence  be  wanted  it  is  to  be  found  in  the  Com- 
mand issued  by  His  late  Majesty  under  date  of  17th  Novem- 
ber, 1902,  for  official  recognition  of  the  Author  of  these 
Memoirs  as  a  GUELPH. 


340 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph         341 


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Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph         343 


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344  Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

Copies  of  letters  sent  to  King  George,  Premier 
Asquith,  Eight  Hon.  A.  J.  Balfour,  Lord  Eose- 
bury,  Lord  Hugh  Cecil,  M.  P.,  the  Eight  Hon. 
Winston  Churchill,  Eight  Hon.  John  Eedmond, 
Eight  Hon.  David  Lloyd-George : 

106  Montague  Street, 
Brooklyn,  New  York. 
19th  May,  1910. 
My  Dear  Brother : 

Some  weeks  ago  I  wrote  to  our  revered  father 
intimating  that  I  desired  to  introduce  certain 
measures  for  the  elucidation  of  the  existing  diffi- 
culties between  the  Lords  and  Commons. 

My  delay  in  submitting  the  same  has  been  due 
to  a  delicate  sense  of  my  appreciation  of  father's 
superior  knowledge  and  ability  to  solve  the  prob- 
lem without  interference  on  my  part. 

In  forwarding  the  enclosed  recommendation  for 
the  amendment  of  the  Constitution  to  provide  for 
the  introduction  of  measures  to  establish  an  Im- 
perial Parliament  on  the  lines  set  forth  therein,  I 
trust  that  I  am  rendering  a  service  to  you  andrto 
my  country. 

Copies  of  the  enclosed  paper  have  been  for- 
warded to  the  Premier  and  Lord  Balfour  and 
other  representatives  in  Parliament. 

You  have  my  full  sympathy  in  the  trying  cir- 
cumstances in  which  our  father 's  death  has  placed 
you. 

Your  affectionate  brother, 

(Signed)  JOHN  WETTIN-GUELPH. 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph  345 

106  Montague  Street, 
Brooklyn,  New  York. 
19th  May,  1910. 

The  Eight  Hon.  Premier  Asquith, 
House  of  Commons, 

London,  S.  W. 
Dear  Sir: 

I  have  the  honor  to  request  that  you  will  be  good 
enough  to  bring  before  Parliament  at  an  early 
date  the  enclosed  recommendations  for  the  amend- 
ment of  the  Constitution  to  provide  for  the  estab- 
lishment of  a  third  House,  to  be  composed  of  an 
equal  number  of  Peers  and  Commons,  and,  if  the 
same  be  deemed  advisable,  of  Privy  Councillors, 
as  the  Supreme  Legislative  Council  to  be  presided 
over  by  the  Sovereign. 

It  appears  to  me  that  an  Imperial  Parliament 
equally  represented  by  each  political  party  and 
by  representatives  of  each  Kingdom  would  consti- 
tute a  supreme  authority  satisfactory  to  all  parties 
and  people  of  the  United  Kingdom,  in  that  not 
only  would  each  party  and  Kingdom  be  fairly 
represented  according  to  their  respective  strength, 
but  the  plan  would  add  dignity  and  authority  to 
both  the  Lords  and  Commons  rather  than  to  de- 
tract from  the  authority  as  at  present  invested 
in  each  House. 

I  am,  Sir,  yours  faithfully, 
(Signed) 
JOHN  GEORGE  EDWARD  B.  WETTIN-GUELPH. 


346         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

PKOPOSED  AMENDMENT  OF  BEITISH  CONSTITUTION 
TO  RESTORE  ORDEB  IN  BRITISH  HOUSES  OF  PARLIAMENT 

BY 
JOHN  GEORGE  EDWARD  REX  WETTIN-GUELPH. 


BILLS  PASSED  BY  COMMONS  AND  VETOED  BY  HOUSE 
LORDS  TO  BE  SUBMITTED  TO 
THE  IMPERIAL  PARLIAMENT, 

COMPOSED  OF  SEVENTY  MEMBERS  OF  PARLIAMENT, 
SEVENTY  PEERS  AND  SEVENTY  PRIVY 

COUNCILLORS. 
THE   SOVEREIGN   TO   PRESIDE   OVER  THE  IMPERIAL 

PARLIAMENT, 
THE  SUPREME  LEGISLATIVE  BODY. 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph  347 

TO  THE  HOUSES  OF  PARLIAMENT 

OF 
THE  UNITED  KINGDOM  OF  GREAT  BRITAIN  AND  IRELAND. 

WHEREAS,  the  dissensions  between  the  House  of 
Commons  and  the  House  of  Lords  are  responsible 
for  the  present  political  crisis  in  the  Upper  and 
Lower  Houses  of  the  British  Parliament  and 

WHEREAS,  the  existing  crisis  has  caused  a  condi- 
tion of  chaos  throughout  the  United  Kingdom  of 
Great  Britain  and  Ireland,  the  British  possessions 
beyond  the  seas  and  the  Empire  of  India  affecting 
commerce  and  concomitantly  the  peace  and  well- 
being  of  the  people,  a  menace  to  the  power  and 
authority  of  our  Constitutional  Government  and 

WHEREAS,  that  in  the  event  of  the  dissolution  of 
the  Constitutional  Monarchy  of  the  United  King- 
dom of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland,  the  safety  of  the 
Empire  would  be  jeopardized,  and  the  peace  of 
the  Christian  world  endangered,  and 

WHEREAS,  the  remedies  heretofore  brought  be- 
fore Parliament  with  a  view  to  the  consummation 
of  an  amicable  settlement  of  the  existing  differ- 
ences between  the  Upper  and  Lower  Houses  of 
Parliament  are  inapplicable  in  that  the  same  are 
incompatible  with  the  dignity  of  our  Constitution 
and  the  prestige  of  the  Empire,  to  wit: 

1. — To  abrogate  the  right  of  the  power  of  veto 
of  the  Upper  House  is  capable  of  only  one  in- 
terpretation, that  is  to  say,  the  House  of  Lords 


348         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

as  proposed  to  be  thereafter  constituted  would 
be  impotent  and  meaningless  as  a  legislative 
body,  having  no  authority  in  the  government  of 
the  Empire. 

2. — To  create  Liberal  Peers  for  no  other  purpose 
than  that  of  procuring  a  majority  vote  of  the 
latter  over  the  House  of  Lords  would  be  to  make 
our  Constitutional  Government  an  object  of 
ridicule,  and,  at  the  same  time  a  cause  for  shame 
to  the  posterity  of  the  British  Empire. 

3. — To  abolish  the  House  of  Lords  and  to  continue 
to  observe  the  growing  tendency  to  displace 
trained  Statesmen  in  Parliament  in  favor  of 
men  who  have  enjoyed  only  limited  educational 
advantages,  and  who  possess  but  indifferent 
knowledge  of  foreign  affairs,  would  eventuate  in 
the  dissolution  of  our  Constitutional  Monarchy, 
to  which  system  of  Government  we  owe  our 
greatness  as  the  first  of  the  nations  of  the  earth, 
only  to  be  succeeded  by  a  season  of  chaos  and 
disaster  far  exceeding  the  tragic  results  of  the 
Cromwellian  blunder, 

THEREFORE,  I,  John  George  Edward  Bex  of 
Great  Britain  and  Ireland  do  maintain  that  the 
best  interests  of  the  United  Kingdom  of  Great 
Britain  and  Ireland,  the  British  possessions  be- 
yond the  seas,  the  Empire  of  India  and  the  peace 
of  the  world  will  be  protected  by  the  perpetuation 
of  the  Constitutional  Monarchy  of  the  United 
Kingdom  of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland  and  I  do. 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph         349 

THEREFORE,  recommend  to  the  Upper  and  Lower 
Houses  of  Parliament  the  amendment  of  the  Con- 
stitution to  provide  for  the  introduction  and  adop- 
tion of  the  measures  and  reforms  hereinafter  set 
forth  for  the  consummation  of  the  foregoing  ob- 
jects, so  devoutly  to  be  desired. 

1. — To  provide  for  the  establishment  of  a  Supreme 
Parliamentary  Body  to  be  designated  as  the  Im- 
perial Parliament  or  such  other  title  that  may 
be  deemed  appropriate. 

The  Imperial  Parliament  to  be  composed  of 
seventy  (or  more)  Members  of  the  House  of 
Commons,  seventy  (or  more)  Peers  from  the 
House  of  Lords,  and  (advisedly)  seventy  Privy 
Councillors.  Members  of  the  Imperial  Parlia- 
ment to  be  styled  Imperial  Councillors. 

Imperial  Councillors  from  the  House  of  Com- 
mons shall  be  elected  by  ballot  at  any  general 
or  special  session  of  the  House  duly  called  and 
shall  be  represented  by  all  political  parties  and 
by  the  respective  Kingdoms  of  the  United  King- 
dom of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland  in  the  exact 
ratio  to  the  full  strength  of  each  and  every 
party  and  Kingdom  respectfully. 

Imperial  Councillors  from  the  House  of  Lords 
shall  in  like  manner  be  represented  by  all  par- 
ties and  kingdoms  in  the  United  Kingdom  of 
Great  Britain  and  Ireland  in  the  exact  ratio  to 
the  full  strength  of  their  respective  parties,  and 
shall  be  elected  by  ballot  at  any  general  or 
special  session  of  the  House  of  Lords. 


350         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

Imperial  Councillors  from  the  Privy  Council 
(if  such  be  approved)  shall  in  like  manner  be  in 
the  same  ratio  representing  all  political  parties 
and  Kingdoms  of  the  United  Kingdom  of  Great 
Britain  and  Ireland,  and  shall  be  appointed  by 
the  Sovereign  of  the  Eealm. 

The  Imperial  Parliament  shall  be  dissolved 
at  the  dissolution  of  each  Parliament  and  re- 
elected  at  the  first  session  of  each  new  Parlia- 
ment. 

Vacancies  through  death  or  other  causes  shall 
be  filled  in  the  manner  hereinabove  described 
at  the  earliest  session  of  Parliament. 


FUNCTION  OF  THE  IMPEKIAL  PARLIAMENT. 

The  Imperial  Parliament  shall  be  the  Su- 
preme Legislative  Council  and  the  adjudication 
on  all  legislative  measures  shall  be  final,  sub- 
ject only  to  the  signature  under  the  Great  Seal 
of  the  Sovereign. 

Each  and  every  bill  or  legislative  measure  of 
every  kind  and  description  and  of  every  De- 
partment of  State  brought  before  Parliament, 
regularly  deliberated  upon  and  duly  passed  by 
the  House  of  Commons,  which  shall  fail  in  regu- 
lar passage  through  the  House  of  Lords  may  be 
returned  to  the  Commons  for  amendment.  In 
the  event  of  the  Lords  and  Commons  failing  to 
agree  or  to  arrive  at  a  satisfactory  issue,  any 
and  every  such  bill  or  legislative  measure  which 
shall  so  fail  passage  through  the  House  of 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph         351 

Lords  shall  be  submitted  to  the  Imperial  Parlia- 
ment for  final  action  and  disposition  thereof. 

JOHN  GEORGE  ED.  E.  WETTIN-GUELPH. 
106  Montague  Street, 
Brooklyn,  New  York,  U.  S.  A. 
16th  May,  1910. 


MESSAGE   OF   JOHN   GEOEGE   EDWARD   REX   OP 
GREAT  BRITAIN  AND  IRELAND 

To  the  Members  of  the  Upper  and  Lower 
Houses  of  the  British  Parliament;  to  the  people 
of  the  United  Kingdom  of  Great  Britain  and  Ire- 
land ;  to  the  people  of  the  Colonies  and  possessions 
of  Great  Britain  beyond  the  seas;  to  the  people 
of  the  Empire  of  India;  to  the  Chief  Magistrate 
and  Ministers  of  the  United  States  Government 
and  to  the  people  of  the  United  States,  under  the 
courtesy  and  protection  of  which  great  Republic 
I  have  enjoyed  the  privileges  of  a  guest  and  resi- 
dent for  a  period  of  upwards  of  ten  years,  and  to 
the  Rulers  and  Ministers  of  the  Church  and  State, 
and  to  the  people  of  the  civilized  world,  I,  John 
George  Edward  Rex  of  Great  Britain  and  Ire- 
land hereby  extend  greeting ;  and  desire  to  express 
my  grateful  appreciation  for  the  courtesy  and 
sympathy  extended  to  me  privately  and  through 
the  public  press  in  the  bereavement  which  it  has 
pleased  Almighty  God  to  bring  upon  me  and  the 
British  Empire  in  the  death  of  my  revered  father 
and  King,  His  late  Majesty  Edward  VII — a  be- 
reavement so  great  as  is  herein  explained  by  rea- 
son of  my  painful  separation  from  my  father  at 


852         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

the  hour  of  death,  that  I  have  resolved  to  proclaim 
before  God,  the  Church  and  the  civilized  world, 
for  the  future  enforcement  of  the  observance  of 
the  moral  and  divine  law;  for  the  protection  of 
England's  motherhood,  for  the  just  and  legiti- 
mate protection  of  the  birthright  of  innocent  off- 
spring, whether  issue  of  Royal  or  other  parents, 
that  I,  John  George  Edward  Rex  of  Great 
Britain  and  Ireland,  the  legitimate  and  lawful  is- 
sue of  the  marriage  of  His  late  Majesty  King 
Edward  VII  and  the  first  Princess  Consort,  was 
unjustly  and  unlawfully  deprived  of  my  birth- 
right as  the  first-born  son  of  the  rightful  Sover- 
eign of  the  United  Kingdom  of  Great  Britain  and 
Ireland,  and  that  I  was  still  more  cruelly  and  un- 
justly deprived  of  the  birthright  of  every  creature 
— the  right  of  a  mother's  love  and  a  father's  care 
in  infancy,  childhood,  and  youth,  by  the  unlaw- 
ful exercises  of  traditional  prejudices  and  jeal- 
ousies of  a  so-called  " royal  custom,"  a  custom  as 
barbarous  and  cruel  as  it  is  unlawful  against  both 
Church  and  State,  the  unjust  action  of  my  late 
grandmother,  Queen  Victoria,  as  Sovereign,  in  the 
cruel  separation  of  my  father  and  my  mother  and 
myself;  the  painfulness  of  the  separation  having 
forced  itself  more  and  more  upon  me  as  each  suc- 
ceeding year  brought  us  nearer  the  grave,  and  is 
now  rendered  inexpressibly  great  in  consequence 
of  the  agony  of  soul  arising  from  the  ties  of  na- 
ture, which  give  to  me  the  right  to  be  present  to 
render  the  last  sacred  offices  of  a  first-born  son  to 
my  father  and  to  my  country;  and,  I  do  hereby 
further  proclaim  it  to  be  the  duty  of  the  people  of 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

England  and  of  the  Christian  world  to  demand  the 
abolition  of  the  so-called  " royal  custom"  of  royal 
polygamy  which  is  an  abomination  in  the  sight 
of  God  and  man,  being  a  violation  of  the  laws  of 
God  and  of  the  Church  and  State;  I  further  pro- 
claim my  firm  intention  and  resolve  that  in  the 
event  of  my  failing  to  rouse  the  Christian  world 
from  its  apathy  in  regard  thereto  by  this  appeal 
for  the  protection  of  the  virtue  and  honor  of 
motherhood,  that  I  do  by  the  Grace  of  God  sol- 
emnly swear  to  devote  my  life  to  the  enforcement 
of  the  law  in  this  matter. 

I  proclaim  in  the  name  of  justice  that  the  so- 
called  Eoyal  Marriage  Act  of  1772,  designated 
12  George  III  C.  II,  to  be  and  that  the  same  is 
unconstitutional  and  a  violation  of  the  Statutes  of 
Great  Britain  and  of  the  canonical  and  civil  dis- 
abilities by  which  marriages  are  regulated,  and 
that  the  so-called  Act  was  recognized  by  George 
III,  the  maker  thereof,  and  by  his  successors, 
George  IV,  William  IV,  Victoria,  and  Edward,  as 
unconstitutional  and  invalid;  and  that  the  afore- 
said Monarchs,  the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury 
(during  the  reign  of  George  III,  also  His  Holi- 
ness the  Pope  of  Eome,  and  all  ecclesiastical  and 
civil  authorities  from  and  including  the  reign  of 
George  III  have  ever  recognized  the  validity  of 
marriages,  both  as  a  sacrament  and  as  a  contract, 
where  such  have  been  solemnized  contrary  to  the 
provisions  of  the  so-called  Eoyal  Marriage  Act; 
and  I  do 

DEMAND,  that  measures  shall  be  taken  by  the 
Houses  of  Parliament  of  the  United  Kingdom 


354         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland  to  proclaim  the  val- 
idity of  any  and  all  marriages  which  have  been 
contracted  contrary  to  the  provisions  of  the  so- 
called  Eoyal  Marriage  Act,  but  otherwise  in  ac- 
cordance with  the  provisions  of  the  laws  of  Church 
and  State,  whether  knowledge  of  such  marriage 
has  or  has  not  been  suppressed  from  the  public, 
as  in  the  case  of  the  marriage  of  George  IV,  the 
validity  of  which  was  recognized  by  the  then  reign- 
ing Sovereign,  George  III,  and  other  authorities, 
notwithstanding  that  the  same  was  contracted  in 
violation  of  the  Act  of  William  and  Mary,  known 
as  the  Bill  of  Eights,  and  also  in  violation  of  the 
12  George  III  C.  II;  and  as  in  the  case  of  the 
first  marriage  of  Edward  VII,  the  first  marriage 
of  my  half-brother,  the  Prince  George,  and  others, 
and,  I  further 

DEMAND  of  the  Houses  of  Parliament  of  the 
United  Kingdom  of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland 
that  the  legitimacy  of  the  issue  of  any  and  all 
marriages  contracted  by  any  descendant  of  George 
III  as  aforesaid  in  violation  of  the  provisions 
of  the  so-called  Eoyal  Marriage  Act  (12  George 
III  C.  II)  shall  be  duly  recognized  and  recorded 
in  the  usual  manner  and  that  such  issue  of  any 
and  all  such  marriages  shall  be  proclaimed  by 
proper  authority  in  their  respective  order  of  legit- 
imate lineal  succession  as  to  their  rightful  suc- 
cession to  titles  and  estate  according  to  law,  irre- 
spectively as  to  whether  any  such  marriage  may 
have  been,  or  may  not  have  been,  set  aside  by 
Eoyal  Proclamation,  or  by  due  process  of  law; 
I  further 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph         355 

DEMAND  of  the  Upper  and  Lower  Houses  of 
Parliament  that  measures  be  taken  forthwith  to 
have  the  said  so-called  Eoyal  Marriage  Act  of 
1772  (12  George  III  C.  II)  declared  to  be  null  and 
void,  the  same  being  unconstitutional  and  invalid, 
in  that  the  said  so-called  Act  is  in  violation  of 
the  provisions  of  the  Acts  of  Parliament  and  con- 
trary to  the  provisions  of  all  laws  of  Church  and 
State  by  which  marriages  are  regulated  in  the 
United  Kingdom  of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland; 
and  that  the  Houses  of  Parliament  shall  cause  the 
said  so-called  Act  of  1772  (12  George  III  C.  II) 
to  be  expunged  from  the  Statutes  and  be  duly  pro- 
claimed by  proper  authority  as  having  been,  from 
the  date  of  its  enactment,  inoperable,  illegal,  and 
therefore  null  and  void. 

(Signed)  JOHN  GEOEGE  EDWAKD  BEX 

OF 

GREAT  BRITAIN  AND  IRELAND. 
106  Montague  Street, 

Brooklyn,  New  York,  U.  S.  A., 
12th  May,  1910. 


106  Montague  Street, 
Brooklyn,  New  York, 

10th  April,  1910. 
My  Dear  Father: 

The  disquieting  reports  relative  to  your  health 
cause  me  great  anxiety. 

Through  the  long  years  of  my  life,  I  have  cher- 
ished the  hope  that  you  would  pay  due  honor  to 
my  dear  mother  before  you  pass  from  this  life  and 


356         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

that  the  time  might  come  when  you  would  make 
it  possible  for  my  mother  and  I  to  be  reunited  in 
an  honorable  way,  in  order  that,  in  the  absence  of 
her  husband's  love  and  protection,  her  declining 
years  might  be  brightened  in  some  measure  by  the 
companionship  of  her  son. 

The  ties  of  blood  strengthen  as  advancing  age 
brings  us  nearer  to  our  eternal  home  and  nearer 
to  God;  and  each  day  the  longing  of  my  heart, 
hitherto  suppressed,  forces  itself  more  and  more 
that  I  may  yet  be  privileged  to  enjoy  some  mani- 
festation of  your  affection  and  the  advantage  of 
my  father's  counsel  so  long  denied  me,  through 
our  sense  of  duty  to  the  State  and  Nation. 

Above  all  personal  consideration,  however,  the 
political  crisis  through  which  the  nation  is  now 
passing  renders  your  continued  good  health  of  the 
greatest  importance  to  the  Empire. 

The  uncertainty  of  life,  in  my  own  case  as  in 
yours ;  the  political  struggle  in  England,  and  the 
ominous  outlook  for  the  future  of  the  Empire  and 
of  the  Monarchy  itself,  should  you  be  called  to  our 
fathers  at  so  unfavorable  a  time,  coupled  with  the 
very  painful  circumstances  under  which  my 
mother  and  I  have  been  obliged  to  live,  sacrificing 
our  personal  interests  and  happiness  in  the  inter- 
est of  our  country,  and  the  equivocal  position  in 
which  my  mother  and  I  might  possibly  find  our- 
selves should  you  pass  from  this  life  before  I  shall 
have  had  an  opportunity  to  bring  before  Parlia- 
ment certain  measures  for  industrial  and  economic 
reform  in  the  United  Kingdom  of  Great  Britain 
and  Ireland,  India  and  the  Colonies,  and  which, 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  GuelpJi         357 

authorities  agree,  will  furnish  the  solution  of  the 
political  problems  of  the  day,  have  led  me  to  de- 
cide upon  the  publication  of  my  Memoirs,  a  rough 
copy  of  the  manuscript  of  some  chapters  of  which 
I  sent  to  you  some  time  ago. 

For  some  years  past  I  have,  as  you  are  aware, 
endeavored  to  give  the  country  the  benefit  of  the 
results  of  my  investigation  for  the  improvement 
of  the  economic  conditions  and  to  raise  the  stand- 
ard of  the  public  health.  This  I  have  done  without 
giving  undue  publicity  to  the  identity  of  the  au- 
thor. My  efforts  to  carry  out  my  plans  have,  I 
believe,  met  with  your  approval,  in  that  the  moral 
support  accorded  by  you  to  the  same,  as  in  the 
case  of  my  systems  for  the  prevention  and  treat- 
ment of  cancer,  which  you  caused  to  be  forwarded 
to  the  Imperial  Cancer  Research  Fund  in  Sep- 
tember, 1906. 

This  evidence  of  your  good-will,  and  apprecia- 
tion of  my  work  has  strengthened  my  love  for  you, 
and  has  enabled  me  to  meet  with  fortitude  the  per- 
secutions to  which  I  have  been  subjected  as  a  re- 
sult of  the  political  intrigue  which  has  been 
brought  to  bear  against  me.  Actuated  by  respect- 
ful consideration  for  the  memory  of  my  revered 
Grandmother,  her  late  Majesty,  the  Queen,  and 
my  love  and  devotion  to  you  and  my  long-suffer- 
ing mother,  supported  by  my  patriotic  desire  to 
maintain  a  discreet  silence  on  a  subject  which  so 
directly  affects  the  Constitution  of  both  Church 
and  State,  I  have  patiently  submitted  to  false  ac- 
cusations, indignities  and  humiliating  experience 
rather  than  expose  and  punish  my  persecutors. 


358         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

This  policy  is  now  impossible,  for  the  reason  that 
so  much  publicity  has  been  given  to  my  identity  as 
your  son  that  any  further  evasion  of  the  truth  on 
my  part  can  only  result  in  unpleasant  comment 
by  the  "  yellow "  newspapers  in  this  country. 

When  Captain  J.  Regan  called  on  me  in  1894  in 
Rangoon,  acting,  I  understood,  in  accordance  with 
a  command  of  the  late  Queen,  my  grandmother, 
with  a  request  that  I  would  not  return  to  England, 
and  intimating  that  if  I  would  go  to  Australia  a 
title  would  be  conferred  and  an  office  given  suited 
to  my  rank  and  birth,  I  declined  the  honor  for  the 
reason  that  I  thought  I  could  come  to  the  United 
States  and  bury  myself  as  I  had  done  for  so  many 
years  in  India.  In  that  opinion  I  was  mistaken 
and  I  have  many  times  regretted  not  having 
availed  myself  of  the  offer  conveyed  through 
Captain  Began. 

The  indiscretion  of  the  officials  in  Rangoon  in 
having  communicated  the  contents  of  your  private 
letter,  as  was  done  to  unauthorized  persons,  led 
to  my  identity  being  made  known  throughout 
Burma,  and,  on  my  leaving  Rangoon  for  America, 
missionaries  or  others  must  have  written  the  facts 
to  this  country.  In  any  case,  news  of  my  identity 
had  preceded  me  to  the  United  States.  It  was 
in  vain  that  I  evaded  all  questions  of  newspaper 
representatives,  the  story  of  my  identity  has  been 
repeatedly  published  throughout  this  country  dur- 
ing the  past  twelve  years. 

The  publication  of  my  Memoirs  at  this  time,  I 
believe,  most  opportune,  in  that  the  publication  of 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph         359 

my  plans  for  industrial  development  in  England 
and  Ireland,  and  the  formation  of  Corporations 
to  put  the  same  in  operation  will  at  once  be  recog- 
nized as  the  means  for  the  solution  of  the  economic 
and  political  questions  now  perplexing  all  parties. 

My  work  will,  therefore,  benefit  the  nation  and, 
at  the  same  time,  may  be  the  means  of  bringing 
my  dear  mother  some  happiness  from  the  knowl- 
edge that  I,  her  son,  so  long  separated  from  both 
mother  and  father,  have  done  something  for  my 
country  at  a  time  when  such  service  was  most 
needed. 

I  trust  that  you  will  excuse  me,  my  dear  father, 
for  thus  expressing  myself  in  writing,  but  as  time 
passes  without  my  having  an  opportunity  to  put 
these  matters  to  you  personally,  I  have  no  other 
alternative. 

I  pray  God  that  I  may  have  the  happiness  to  pay 
my  respects  to  you  in  person  in  the  near  future 
and  that  we  may  enjoy  in  our  maturer  years  the 
affection  and  companionship  of  father  and  son,  of 
son  and  father,  that  personal  affection  and  com- 
panionship so  long  denied  to  us  by  the  interven- 
tion of  a  cruel  fate. 

Should  it  not  be  the  will  of  God  that  we  should 
be  so  blessed  on  earth,  we  know  that  in  a  few  short 
years  at  most  we  will  meet  with  those  of  our  race 
who  have  gone  before,  where  we  will  stand  equal 
before  the  King  of  Kings — father  and  son,  and 
mother!  No  more  will  a  false  and  unholy  custom 
permit  of  our  separation  as  in  this  so-called  Chris- 
tian world. 


B60         Memoirs  of  Prince  Jolin  De  Guelpli 

Hoping  to  hear  of  your  improved  health,  and 
with  expressions  of  my  deep  affection, 
I  remain, 

My  dear  father, 

Your  dutiful  son, 

(Signed)  JOHN  GUELPH. 


Mr.  Thomas  Dougherty,  who  had  represented 
me  in  certain  matters  relative  to  the  publication 
of  these  Memoirs,  being  a  loyal  British  subject, 
decided  to  assume  the  responsibility  of  reporting 
to  His  late  Majesty,  King  Edward  VII,  the  fact 
that  I  was  arranging  for  the  publication  of  my 
Memoirs. 

He  pointed  out  to  His  Majesty  that  the  publi- 
cation of  this  work  would  inevitably  result  in  a 
revolution,  and  urged  His  Majesty  to  have  the 
necessary  steps  taken  to  suppress  the  publication. 
Mr.  Dougherty  exercised  great  care  to  have  his 
letter  presented  to  Eis  Majesty  with  the  utmost 
secrecy. 

The  letter  was  written  and  despatched  without 
my  knowledge. 

At  the  time  that  Mr.  Dougherty  wrote  the  above 
mentioned  letter  he  was  not  aware  of  the  fact 
that  I  had  not  only  written  to  my  father,  King  Ed- 
ward, reporting  my  intention  to  publish  my  Me- 
moirs, but  that  I  had  also  forwarded  the  manu- 
script of  the  Summary  and  first  three  chapters  in 
order  that  His  Majesty  might  be  fully  cognizant 
of  the  nature  of  the  publication  and  the  effect  that 
the  same  would  produce  in  the  British  Empire. 


Memoirs  of  Prince  )ohn  De  Guelph        361 

Mr.  Dougherty  was,  therefore,  much  surprised 
upon  receiving  the  letter  from  Lord  Knollys  here- 
with reproduced. 

On  receipt  of  the  said  letter,  Mr.  Dougherty 
called  on  me  and  explained  the  nature  of  the 
letter  addressed  by  him  to  the  King  and  hand- 
ed to  me  His  Majesty's  reply,  with  the  remark 
that  the  said  letter  was  conclusive  evidence 


WINDSOR    CASTLE. 

26th  January  1910. 


Sir, 

I  arn  commanded  toy  The  King  to 
acknowledge  the  receipt  of  your  letter 
of  the  llth  instant,  and  to  express  his 
regret  that  he  is  unable  to  assist' you., 
in  the  matter  to  which  you  refer  of 
Mr  John  R.de  Guelph. 
I  am,  Sir, 

Your  obedient  Servant , 

JLMf 

T.C.Dougherty  ESQ. 

that  His  Majesty  not  only  declined  to  cause  the 
suppression  of  the  publication  of  my  Memoirs,  but, 
that  the  letter  having  been  addressed  to  him,  a  dis- 


362         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

interested  party,  was  a  definite  acknowledgment  of 
my  action  in  publishing  my  Memoirs  to  establish 
before  the  Empire  and  the  world  at  large  my  legal 
right  as  the  eldest  legitimate  son  and  heir  of  the 
Sovereign. 

The  following  letters  dated  the  12th  and  17th 
November,  1902,  from  the  Secretary  of  State  for 
War,  are  reproduced  in  order  to  show : 

1.  That  as  the  firm  name  under  which  I  had 
previously    conducted    my   business,    i.e.,   J.    E. 
Guelph-Norman  &  Co.  had  been  changed  on  the 
26th  June,  1902  (the  date  set  for  the  Coronation 
of  my  father) ,  to  Guelph  &  Son,  and  being  aware 
that  the  Department  of  His  Majesty's  Government 
could  not  enter  into  business  relations  with  my 
Firm  of  Guelph  without  the  sanction  of  the  Sover- 
eign, I  wrote  to  my  father  requesting  that  he  would 
command  the  War  Office  to  enter  into  business  re- 
lations with  me  under  the  name  of  Guelph. 

2.  The  letter  from  the  Secretary  of  State  for 
War,  dated  12th  November,  1902,  bears  out  the 
foregoing  rule,  in  that  it  will  be  observed  that  the 
same  is  simply  an  acknowledgment  of  the  receipt 
of  said  letter,  but  did  not  entertain  the  business 
referred  to  therein. 

The  letter  from  the  Secretary  of  State  for  War 
of  17th  November,  1902,  in  reply  to  the  letter  ad- 
dressed to  His  Majesty,  the  King,  it  will  be  ob- 
served, entertained  the  business  therein  referred 
to,  by  the  Command  of  His  Majesty,  the  King. 

The  said  Command  of  His  Majesty  to  the  De- 
partment to  enter  into  business  relations  with  the 
firm  of  Guelph  &  Son  has  been  observed  from  that 


Showing    official    and    private    recognition    as    the    legitimate 

Prince  of  the  House  of  Guelph,  by  the  late 
•>.•««-..*:    '      King  Edward   VII 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph         363 

date  by  the  various  Departments  of  the  British 
Government. 


WAR  OFFICE,  LONDON,  S.W.. 


p.  er 


190  ^ 


I  am  directed  by  the  Secretary  of  State.for  War  to  acknowledge 
receipt  of  your  letter  of  the 
relative  to 


864         Memoirs  of  Prince  John   De   Guelph 


Form  No.  1.. 


The  Quarter-Master-General 

to  the  Force*, 
Wai  Office, 

London.  8  W., 
•ad  the  Above  number -quoted. 


WAR  OFFICE, 

LODON,  S.W., 


I  am  dirtseted  by  the  Secretary  of  State  for  War  to  acknowledge 


.the  receipt  of  your  letter  of  the 


ou  the  subject  of 


Jrbntf 

^ 


which  shall  receive  attention, 


Your  obedient  Servant, 


i 


Official  relations  with  British  Government  opened  by  command 
of  King  Edward  VII,   following  his  coronation,  1902 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph         365 


Any  further 

subject  should  be  addressed  to— 

The  Secretary, 

War  Office, 

-London,  S.W., 

.nd  the  following  number  quowd.  War    Office, 


London,  S.  IV. 

84/T/2100.     (A.4.)  .,  «* 

J/-  June,  1907. 

_Gent  lemon, 

With  reference  to  your  letter  of  the  28th 
ultimo,   on  the  subject  of  a  water  penetrating  projectile, 
I  am  directed  to  acquaint  you  that  an  interview  can  be 
Afforded  on  any  day  between  the  hours  named  In  your 
letter  when  if  sufficient  details  are  furnished  th« 
question  of  the  suitability  of  the   invention  for 
adoption  into  His  Majesty's  "Service  will.be  considered 
under  the  terms  stated  In  the  accompanying.  Memorandum 
for  Inventors. 

It  is  not  considered  accessary  for  the 
Inventor  to  bring  samples  to  England  at  the  present 
.etage. 

I  am  to  add  that  no  expenses  which  may  be 
incurred  in  submit  ting  details,    as  above,   can  be 
paid  by  this  Department,   and  in  the   absence   of  details 
.It   is  not  possible  to  consider  whether  it  would  be 
desirable  to  take  any  special  action  such  as  would  be 
the  authorisation  of   expenditure   in  developing  the 
Invention. 

I  an, 

Gentlemen, 

Your  obedient  Servant, 


Messrs  Guelph  A  Co.,  ^Tirector  of  Artillery. 

20  Blshopsgate   Street  Without, 
B.C. 


366         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

GUELPH  &  SON,  BANKERS  AND  BROKERS, 

London  and  New  York, 
81  New  Street,  Suit  29-33. 

10th  January,  1910. 

To  His  Majesty,  King  Edward  VII., 
Buckingham  Palace, 

London,  S.  W. 
Sire, 

Permit  me  to  state  in  further  reference  to  my 
letter  dated  4th  November  last  relative  to  the 
above  subject,  and  the  reply  thereto  by  His  Ex- 
cellency, the  Secretary  of  State  for  India,  under 
date  of  10th  December,  that  in  view  of  the  great 
distress  existing  among  the  masses  of  Your 
Majesty's  Indian  Empire,  owing  to  the  unhealthy 
economic  conditions,  the  political  unrest  conse- 
quent on  the  long  continued  depression  and  pesti- 
lence, and  the  great  need  for  the  more  expeditious 
development  of  the  natural  resources  on  more 
equitable  lines  than  observed  by  existing  monopo- 
listic corporations,  "rings,"  and  combinations, 
the  project  referred  to  in  my  letter  of  4th  Novem- 
ber, and  previous  communications,  will  be  carried 
out  by  private  enterprise  in  accordance  with  the 
provisions  of  the  Company  Act.  A  limited  lia- 
bility company  having  been  duly  incorporated  for 
the  purpose,  the  work  will  be  commenced  at  once. 

I  respectfully  beg  to  state  that  in  the  interest 
of  the  nation  and  of  the  Empire,  I  am  about  to 
have  published  in  the  form  of  a  biographical  sketch 
of  my  life,  some  particulars  of  the  results  of  my 
researches,  and  my  plans  for  industrial  develop- 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelpk         367 

ment  and  economic  reform  in  the  United  King- 
dom of  Great  Britiain  and  Ireland,  and  in  India. 

My  various  projects  for  improving  the  condi- 
tions of  the  people  and  the  political  position  of 
the  Empire,  having  been  endorsed  by  some  of  the 
highest  authorities  as  the  "most  practical,"  "the 
greatest  of  public  benefactions,"  and  "the  very 
thing  needed,"  "the  only  means  whereby  the 
country  can  be  saved,"  and  as  my  efforts  to  in- 
troduce the  said  measures  and  to  put  the  same  in 
operation  have  been  quietly,  but  systematically 
opposed  on  political  grounds,  the  public  being 
thereby  deprived  of  the  benefits  that  would  im- 
mediately accrue  from  the  inauguration  of  said 
operations,  I  am  of  opinion  that  the  matter 
should  be  referred  to  the  people  of  the  United 
Kingdom  and  of  the  Empire,  that  they  may  judge 
as  to  whether  the  peace  and  welfare  of  the  nation 
should  be  permitted  to  suffer,  and  the  safety  of  the 
Empire  be  jeopardized  through  political  intrigue 
against  an  individual,  a  loyal  and  faithful  sub- 
ject, who  has  given  his  life  and  sacrificed  his  hap- 
piness to  serve  his  King  and  his  people. 

I  enclose  for  the  favor  of  Your  Majesty's 
perusal  and  consideration  the  manuscript  of  the 
biographical  sketch,  not  yet  in  the  press. 

I  trust  that  my  effort  in  this  direction  may  meet 
with  Your  Majesty's  approval,  and  that  the  publi- 
cation of  the  book  will  be  for  the  public  good,  as 
I  have  reason  to  believe  it  will. 

I  beg  to  assure  Your  Majesty  that  it  is  most 
painful  to  me  to  find  myself,  owing  to  circum- 
stances over  which  I  had  no  control,  brought  so 


368         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

prominently  in  the  public  eye,  with  no  alternative 
but  to  publish  my  biography  in  order  to  give  to 
my  country  that  which  I  have  long  offered  in  a 
manner  which  did  not  necessitate  my  being  pub- 
licly known  in  connection  therewith. 

I  am  Your  Majesty's  most  obedient  servant, 
(Signed)  JOHN  E.  DE  GUELPH. 

[On  pages  following  will  be  found  photographic 
reproductions  of  a  few  messages  sent  by  Prince 
John  to  his  father.] 

London,  9th  November,  1906. 
To  King  Edward  VII, 

Sandringham : 

"Accept  my  filial  and  dutiful  congratulations 
on  the  sixty-fifth  anniversary  of  Your  Majesty's 
sonship  of  God.  May  He  lengthen  your  days  in 
the  interest  of  peace  and  the  public  health. 

(Signed)  "JOHN  GUELPH." 


London,  25th  December,  1906. 
To  King  Edward  VII., 

Sandringham : 

"I  rejoice  to  be  in  England  to-day  that  our 
prayers  and  praise  in  celebrating  the  anniversary 
of  the  nativity  of  the  Prince  of  the  House  of  David 
may  ascend  as  from  one  heart  to  Almighty  God, 
who  giveth  the  blessing  of  peace  and  good  will. 
May  His  peace  be  with  you.  Filial  love. 

(Signed)  "JOHN  GUELPH." 


IPOST  OFFICE  TELEGRAPHS. 


For  Postal  st~ 

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Christmas   and   birthday   greetings   from   son   to  father 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph         369 

London,  9th  November,  1907. 
To  His  Majesty,  the  King, 

Sandringham : 

"  Please  accept  my  hearty  congratulations  on 
this  anniversary.  My  prayer  to  God  is  that  you 
may  be  spared  to  enjoy  many  of  them.  Give  the 
King  Thy  judgments,  0  God,  and  Thy  righteous- 
ness unto  the  King's  son.  He  shall  judge  Thy 
people  with  righteousness,  and  Thy  poor  with 
judgment. 

(Signed)  "JOHN  GUELPH/' 


London,  25th  December,  1907. 
To  His  Majesty,  King  Edward  VII., 

Sandringham : 

"Please  accept  my  filial  greeting  and  heartiest 
wishes  for  a  happy  Christmas.  May  Almighty 
God  sustain  and  direct  you  in  your  efforts  to 
hasten  the  consummation  of  the  object  and  pur- 
pose of  the  nativity  of  Our  Lord — 'Peace  and 
good-will  among  men.'  It  is  my  privilege  to  an- 
nounce at  this  season  that  Your  Majesty's  untir- 
ing efforts  to  stamp  out  the  national  scourges  of 
cancer  and  consumption  are  about  to  be  crowned 
with  success  through  the  successful  results  of  ex- 
tensive research  and  clinical  tests  of  Messrs.  Car- 
pender  and  Guelph.  'The  system  for  the  preven- 
tion and  cure  of  these  diseases  is  my  Christmas 
offering  to  my  King  and  Country.'  I  pray  Your 
Majesty's  acceptance  thereof  for  the  good  of  the 
Empire. 

(Signed)  "JOHN  GUELPH/' 


370         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 


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Filial  greetings  touch  the  father's  heart 


'Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph         371 

Fremont,  Indiana,  9th  Nov.,  1908. 
To  King  Edward,  Sandringham : 

"Please  accept  my  dutiful  and  filial  greetings. 
Many  happy  returns.    (Signed)  "  JOHN  GUELPH. " 

On  November  9th,  1909,  foreseeing  His  Maj- 
esty's death,  I  sent  the  following  cablegram: 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

106  Montague  Street, 

Borough  of  Brooklyn, 
New  York  City,  N.  Y.,  17th  June,  1910. 


My  Dear  Brother  George: 

It  has  pleased  Almighty  God  to  remove  our 
father  from  the  Throne  and  from  our  midst,  at  a 
time  when  the  Upper  and  Lower  Houses  of  Par- 
liament were  in  the  throes  of  a  crisis  without 
parallel  since  the  Cromwellian  blunder,  and  the 
Empire  again  faces  a  bloody  revolution,  which, 
should  it  come,  would  be  followed  by  the  inevitable 
disintegration  of  the  Empire. 

Had  our  father's  life  been  spared  for  only  a 
brief  period  the  pending  catastrophe  would  un- 
doubtedly have  been  averted,  by  the  judicious  ex- 
ercise of  his  influence  with  the  contending  parties. 
The  imminent  danger  in  which  the  crisis  has 
placed  the  Empire  would  have  led  him  to  temper 
his  Sovereign  influence  with  his  wisdom,  superior 
judgment,  and  resolute  courage  in  order  to  bring 
to  a  speedy  end  the  turbulent  unrest. 

An  all-wise  Providence,  the  King  of  Kings,  de- 
creed otherwise;  our  father  and  King  was  not 
privileged  to  bring  about  the  peaceful  issue  which 
he  so  devoutly  desired. 

The  political  crisis  continues  as  acutely  as  be- 
fore his  passing  and  the  turbulent  unrest  is  still 
capable  of  developing  into  a  bloody  revolution. 

Recognizing  my  duty  to  my  country,  as  the 
eldest  legitimate  son  of  our  father,  to  assist  in 
the  carrying  out  of  the  task  of  solving  the  diffi- 
cult problems  confronting  the  Houses  of  Parlia- 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph         373 

ment,  I  submitted  to  the  Prime  Minister,  under 
date  of  19th  May,  a  plan  suggesting  the  establish- 
ment of  an  Imperial  Parliament,  as  a  Supreme 
Parliamentary  Council  to  be  composed  of  Mem- 
bers of  both  the  Upper  and  Lower  Houses  of 
Parliament  and  representing  all  political  parties 
and  Kingdoms  in  the  ratio  of  their  respective 
strength  in  each  House;  a  copy  of  which  proposi- 
tion was  forwarded  to  you  on  the  same  date. 

The  seriousness  of  the  present  situation  calls 
imperiously  for  immediate  and  resolute  action  in 
the  interest  of  peace.  Hence,  my  action  in  this 
matter.  Were  I  but  a  private  individual,  I  would 
consider  it  to  be  my  duty  to  proffer  a  similar 
suggestion  for  the  adoption  of  measures  to  avert 
the  suffering  and  horrors  of  a  revolution. 

In  view  of  the  existing  crisis  in  England,  and 
of  our  relative  positions  in  relation  thereto,  I  deem 
it  advisable  in  the  interest  of  the  public  welfare 
to  place  before  the  people  of  the  United  King- 
dom of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland,  some  particu- 
lars concerning  my  life ;  and  also  an  outline  of  the 
policy  for  industrial  and  economic  reform  as  pro- 
posed by  me  from  time  to  time  and  encouraged  by 
our  father,  for  the  purpose  of  averting  the  present 
crisis  and  political  unrest  in  the  United  Kingdom 
and  India. 

In  order  that  the  public  may  understand  the 
motive  which  prompted  me  to  devote  my  life  to 
the  service  of  my  country  with  the  object  of  im- 
proving the  condition  of  the  people,  I  have  de- 
cided to  include  in  this  open  letter  to  you,  a  few 
excerpts  from  my  Memoirs,  the  MS.  of  which 


874'         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

was  submitted  to  our  father  on  the  10th  January 
last  with  the  intimation  that  the  same  would  be 
published  at  an  early  date,  and  to  which  publica- 
tion he  raised  no  objection. 

The  following  excerpts  from  the  second  chapter 
of  my  Memoirs  (but  subsequently  eliminated) 
give  expression  to  the  natural  characterictics 
of  race  and  parentage  which  have  impelled 
me  to  apply  my  energies  for  the  emancipa- 
tion of  Ireland  and  India  from  the  deplorable 
effects  of  our  mal-administration  of  these  coun- 
tries, and  for  the  removal  of  the  burden  of  over- 
taxation in  the  United  Kingdom  of  Great  Britain 
and  Ireland,  by  the  introduction  of  measures  for 
industrial  development,  thereby  ensuring  the  fu- 
ture maintenance  of  healthy  economic  conditions, 
and  peace  and  prosperity,  in  the  place  of  the  long- 
continued  condition  of  poverty  and  political 
unrest : 

"Having  been  begotten  and  brought  forth  into 
being  a  human  mite  of  potentialities  under  cir- 
cumstances over  which  I  had  no  control,  I  owe  no 
apology  to  my  contemporary  beings,  similarly  in- 
troduced into  the  world,  for  my  advent  into  life, 
for  my  royal  parentage,  my  nationality,  or  for 
the  racial  characteristics  inherited  from  my  par- 
ents, grandparents  and  remoter  ancestors.  I 
am  but  the  reincarnation  of  the  spirit  of  my  fore- 
fathers ;  and  the  characteristics  transmitted  to  me 
by  my  parents  and  the  progenitors  of  my  race 
through  succeeding  generations  constitute  the 
dominant  factor  in  the  development  of  my  own 
character. 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph         375 

"From  the  human  mite  of  potentialities  has 
evolved  the  mature  man,  and  expression  is  given 
to  the  characteristics  of  my  race;  the  manifesta- 
tion of  the  actualities  of  the  spirit  of  my  progeni- 
tors ;  the  exercise  of  the  right  of  man  in  the  world 
of  men. 

"The  characteristics  of  race  and  parentage 
transmitted  to  offspring  are  modified  by  environ- 
ment and  confluence  with  sociological  influences 
and  by  impressions  of  a  physiological  and  psycho- 
logical nature.  The  most  potent  agent,  however, 
which  an  All-wise  Creator  ' breathed  into'  man, 
whereby  the  traits  and  characteristics  inherited 
from  parents  and  ancestors  may  be  modified  in  the 
life  of  the  offspring,  in  the  super-cosmic  conscious- 
ness, the  spiritus  vitae,  the  divine  WILL,  the 
' breath'  of  life  which  united  the  finite  with  the 
Infinite  Being. 

"This  great  truth  was  impressed  upon  my  mind 
while  yet  a  child The  lessons  im- 
parted to  me  by  my  foster-mother  made  a  great 
impression  upon  me,  to  which  I  am  indebted  for 
the  strength  and  fortitude  with  which  I  have  at 
all  times  endeavored  to  meet  and  overcome  the 
difficulties  encountered  in  life,  and  which  not  in- 
frequently have  seemed  to  be  well  nigh  insur- 
mountable. 

"  ' Always  remember,'  she  was  wont  to  say,  'that 
your  father  is  the  greatest  man  in  the  land;  that 
he  must  occupy  the  most  exalted  station  in  the 
Kingdom,  and  that  to  him  the  nation  must  look 
for  the  maintenance  of  peace  and  continued  pros- 
perity. It  is  your  duty  to  profit  by  the  example 


876         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelpli 

and  experience  of  your  grandmother,  the  Queen, 
and  that  of  your  father  and  forefathers.  It  is 
my  earnest  desire  and  prayer  that  you  may  be- 
come as  great  a  man  as  is  your  father.  What  you 
lose  by  having  been  removed  from  the  environ- 
ments, of  the  Eoyal  Court,  and  by  having  been  de- 
prived of  the  advantages  of  the  education  and 
associations  consistent  with  your  royal  birth,  need 
not  affect  you  unfavorably;  on  the  contrary,  it 
should  prove  to  be  a  gain  to  you  in  the  end. 
Being  free  from  the  trammels  of  Court  and  State 
and  from  the  restrictions  under  which  Princes  of 
the  Reigning  Dynasty  are  brought  up,  you  can 
obtain  by  personal  application  and  by  practical 
experience  a  more  thorough  training  to  qualify 
you  for  the  exalted  station  to  which  your  country 
and  your  people  will  some  day  call  you,  than  you 
would  receive  under  ordinary  circumstances.' 
The  strong  impression  thus  made  upon  me  in  my 
childhood  and  early  youth,  coupled  with  the  spirit 
of  my  ancestors,  which  latter  was  sorely  wounded 
by  the  knowledge  of  the  terrible  agony  of  mind 
in  which  my  dear  mother  was  living,  inspired  me 
to  devote  my  life  to  the  service  of  my  country  and 
my  people;  to  subordinate  personal  interests  to 
the  interests  of  humanity. 

"The  mental  picture  of  my  mother's  tortured 
soul  was  an  ever-present  appeal  to  my  sensitive 
nature  for  justice,  and  spurred  me  on  to  what 
might  be  termed  super-human  effort  to  achieve 
something  worthy  of  a  Prince  of  the  House  of 
Guelph;  something  of  which  my  dear  mother 
might  be  proud;  something  of  which  my  country 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph         377 

might  accept  for  the  good  of  the  Empire  as  a 
tribute  of  my  devotion  to  my  people  under  the 
most  painful  circumstances.  It  is  the  inspiration 
which  has  followed  me  through  life,  and  which 
has  many  times  saved  me  from  death,  which 
prompts  me  at  this  time  when  the  Empire  is  facing 
a  bloody  revolution  which  threatens  the  safety  of 
the  Constitutional  Monarchy  and  the  prosperity 
of  the  people,  to  authorize  the  publication  of  this 
biography  in  the  hope  that  by  so  doing  the  people 
of  the  British  Empire  and  of  the  world  at  large 
may  benefit  from  the  results  of  my  investigations, 
by  the  adoption  of  my  policy  leading  to  the  estab- 
lishment of  universal  peace 

For  sixteen  years  I  have  been  repeatedly  urged 
by  friends  and  others  to  publish  a  book  giving  an 
account  of  my  travels,  experiences,  and  re- 
searches. Such  a  book,  I  was  assured,  would 
bring  me  a  fortune ;  and  thus  furnish  capital  with 
which  to  establish  some  of  my  projects  for  the  im- 
provement of  the  condition  of  the  poor,  and  to 
inaugurate  the  great  movement  for  economic  re- 
form by  which  alone  can  be  brought  about  the 
consummation  of  the  object  so  devoutly  desired, 
the  establishment  of  international  peace. " 

As  will  be  seen  from  the  following  extracts  from 
my  letter  of  10th  January,  1910,  to  my  father,  I 
steadfastly  refused  to  publish  my  Memoirs  dur- 
ing that  period.  The  publication  of  such  a  work 
could  have  only  resulted  in  civil  war.  The  main- 
tenance of  peace  was  my  first  consideration,  no 
matter  what  the  personal  sacrifice  to  myself  might 
be.  Hence,  from  the  year  1893  up  to  the  month 


378         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

of  December,  1909, 1  adhered  strictly  to  the  policy 
of  putting  forward  my  plans  for  industrial  de- 
velopment and  economic  reform,  and  for  raising 
the  standard  of  the  public  health,  without  bring- 
ing myself  prominently  before  the  public  as  the 
originator  of  the  measures  in  question: 

"In  the  interest  of  the  nation  and  of  the  Empire, 
I  am  about  to  have  published  in  the  form  of  a 
biographical  sketch  of  my  life,  some  particulars 
of  the  results  of  my  researches,  and  of  my  plans 
for  industrial  development  and  economic  reform 
in  the  United  Kingdom  of  Great  Britain  and  in 
India. 

"My  various  projects  for  improving  the  con- 
dition of  the  people,  and  the  political  position  of 
the  Empire,  having  been  endorsed  by  some  of  the 
highest  authorities  as  being  the  'most  practical,' 
'the  greatest  of  public  benefactions/  'the  very 
thing  needed  for  the  salvation  of  the  country,' 
'the  only  means  whereby  the  country  can  be 
saved;'  and  as  my  efforts  to  introduce  the  said 
measures  and  to  put  the  same  in  operation  have 
been  quietly  but  systematically  opposed  on  politi- 
cal grounds,  the  public  being  thereby  deprived  of 
the  benefits  that  would  immediately  accrue  from 
the  inauguration  of  said  operations,  I  am  of  opin- 
ion that  the  matter  should  be  referred  to  the  peo- 
ple of  the  United  Kingdom  and  of  the  Empire,  that 
they  may  judge  as  to  whether  the  peace  and  wel- 
fare of  the  nation  should  be  permitted  to  suffer, 
and  the  safety  of  the  Empire  be  jeopardized 
through  political  intrigue  against  an  individual,  a 
loyal  and  faithful  subject,  who  has  given  his  life 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph         379 

and  sacrificed  his  happiness  to  serve  his  King 
and  his  people. ' ' 

For  many  years  past  I  have  kept  my  father  ad- 
vised as  to  my  various  plans  for  improving  the 
economic  conditions,  and  he  was  aware  that  my 
practical  experience  in  various  branches  of  the 
Service,  including  the  Army,  Police,  Prison  Ser- 
vice, Educational  Department,  and  the  Anglican 
Church  Missions,  covering  a  period  of  about  nine- 
teen years,  supplemented  by  some  fifteen  years 
of  active  public  work,  gave  me  ample  opportunity 
to  study,  and  that  I  was  taking  full  advantage 
of  that  opportunity  to  familiarize  myself  with  the 
political  and  economic  conditions  and  the  needs 
of  the  people  at  home  and  abroad.  My  father  also 
knew  that  it  would  have  been  impossible  for  me 
or  any  other  member  of  our  family  to  have  bene- 
fited from  such  an  excellent  opportunity  to  inves- 
tigate by  actual  experience  and  personal  contact 
with  the  people  and  their  environments,  had  I 
not  been  free  from  the  trammels  of  court  eti- 
quette. 

It  was  only  by  living  the  life  of  the  people  that 
I  was  able  to  familiarize  myself  with  the  actual 
conditions  of  both  the  rich  and  the  poor,  and  to 
solve  the  problem  whereby  our  work-houses  may 
be  converted  into  industrial  and  educational  in- 
stitutions, and  thus  convert  the  large  army  of  pau- 
pers and  criminals  into  wage-earners  and  tax- 
payers, and  the  multitude  of  beggars  into  useful 
citizens,  to  contribute  their  per  capita  toward  the 
Old  Age  Pension  Fund  and  the  national  revenue; 
and  thereby  reduce  the  taxation  by  fifty  per  cen- 


380         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

turn,  and  increase  the  revenue  in  the  same  pro- 
portion. 

My  investigations  were  commenced  in  Ireland 
in  the  seventies.  Three  years'  study  of  the 
economic  conditions  caused  me  to  consider  what 
plans  could  be  devised  for  the  relief  of  that  long- 
suffering  people.  It  has  been  with  feelings  of 
deep  concern  that  I  have  watched  the  painful 
struggle  by  the  people  of  that  country  for  exist- 
ence since  that  time,  and  my  inability  to  help  them 
hitherto  has  caused  me  much  regret. 

I  am  now  taking  steps  for  the  development  of 
the  mineral  resources  of  Ireland  and  for  the  resto- 
ration of  her  manufacturing  and  other  industries. 

So  long  as  Ireland  continues  an  integral  part 
of  the  United  Kingdom,  it  is  the  imperative  duty 
of  the  Government  to  protect  the  commerce  of  that 
country  in  the  same  degree  as  it  is  to  protect  the 
commerce  of  England,  Scotland  and  Wales. 

This  has  not  been  done.  The  development  of 
the  mineral  resources  of  Ireland  has  been  handi- 
capped; her  manufacturing  industries  ruined  and 
even  her  agricultural  pursuits  crippled  for  many 
years  past. 

England,  Ireland,  Scotland  and  Wales  are  well 
able  to  supply  the  English  market,  and  it  is  our 
imperative  duty  to  see  to  it  that  home  industries 
are  protected,  and  domestic  trade  encouraged  and 
supported. 

It  is  to  be  regretted  that  Denmark,  through  the 
influence  of  Danish  Eule  in  England,  has  "  cor- 
nered "  the  English  market,  and  that  provisions 
of  all  kinds  are  imported  from  Denmark,  while 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph         381 

the  Irish  agriculturists  and  manufacturers  suffer 
in  consequence  of  the  Danish  invasion  of  the  rights 
of  our  domestic  commerce. 

Public  sentiment  demands  that  this  evil  be  reme- 
died by  the  protection  of  our  domestic  trade 
against  foreign  monoply. 

The  emancipation  of  Ireland  from  the  misery 
and  suffering  inflicted  upon  that  unhappy  country, 
is  the  first  duty  of  the  Government. 

The  impoverished  condition  of  Ireland,  result- 
ing from  centuries  of  oppression  under  the  feudal 
system  of  landlordism  (changed  only  in  recent 
years  by  legislation),  and  its  relation  as  a  part  of 
the  United  Kingdom,  gives  to  that  country  the 
equal  right  with  England  to  supply  the  English 
market,  and  to  receive  the  profits  of  their  industry 
and  labor. 

Industrial  development  and  the  establishment 
of  healthy  economic  conditions  in  Ireland,  as  also 
in  India,  affords  the  only  solution  of  the  Irish 
question  and  the  political  unrest  in  India. 

I  have  repeatedly  put  this  matter  before  the 
proper  authorities  during  the  last  ten  years,  and 
our  father,  as  Sovereign  of  the  Kealm,  did  his 
best,  as  may  be  seen  from  the  correspondence,  to 
cause  my  plans  to  be  adopted,  and  encouraged  in 
every  way  the  introduction  of  the  measures  in 
question.  As  a  matter  of  fact  operations  on  the 
above  lines  were  inaugurated,  and  the  same  re- 
ceived the  warmest  support  of  the  press  and  the 
public,  but  owing  to  political  intrigue  the  work 
has  been  greatly  retarded. 

As  explained  in  my  letter  of  4th  November,  1909, 


382         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

to  our  father,  a  limited  liability  company  was 
registered  for  the  purpose  of  carrying  out  the 
project  (in  1903).  "Arrangements  were  concluded 
with  banks  and  trust  companies  to  underwrite  the 
Company's  securities  in  order  to  absolutely  pro- 
tect shareholders  from  possible  loss.  Every  share 
of  capital  was  guaranteed  by  the  issuance  of  gold 
bonds,  bearing  interest  at  six  per  cent,  per  an- 
num, and  held  in  trust  by  the  trustees  for  the 
stockholders,  and  protected  by  real  estate  security 
of  double  the  value  of  the  amount  of  the  invest- 
ment, in  addition  to  having  the  first  claim  on  the 
entire  assets  of  the  Company. 

' '  The  Corporation  had  acquired  the  rights  to  ir- 
rigation (and  both  machinery  and  other  assets 
valued  at  $10,000,000,  or  double  the  amount  of  the 
total  Capitalization)  preparatory  to  the  inaugura- 
tion of  the  proposed  operation 

"The  Corporation  in  question  having  taken 
every  precaution  to  safeguard  the  interests  of 
shareholders,  and  having  incurred  considerable 
expense  for  the  carrying  out  of  the  enterprise 
which  all  authorities  to  whom  the  project  was  sub- 
mitted declared  would  double  the  revenue  of  dis- 
tricts in  which  it  might  operate,  in  less  than  ten 

years, was  declared  to  be  the  '  only 

means  whereby  India  could  be  saved  to  the  British 
Eule, '  contemplated  bringing  suit  against  the  Sec- 
retary of  State  for  India Foresee- 
ing that  any  action  that  might  be  brought  by  the 
said  Corporation  against  the  Secretary  of  State 
for  India,  who  had  apparently  confounded  an  in- 
dividual, myself,  with  a  duly  registered  Corpora- 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph         383 

tion,  would  inevitably  lead  to  very  unpleasant  de- 
velopments, involving  explanations  of  the  identity 
of  the  director  of  the  Company  who  had  been  thus 
attacked,  I  caused  the  matter  to  be  dropped." 

The  political  intrigue  through  which  this  most 
important  cause  was  maliciously  interfered  with, 
to  the  detriment  of  not  only  the  Empire  of  India 
and  its  suffering  multitudes,  but  of  the  United 
Kingdom  of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland  as  well, 
has  been  in  operation  for  many  years. 

Under  date  of  4th  February,  1897, 1  addressed  a 
letter  to  the  Viceroy  and  Governor-General  in 
India  recommending  the  introduction  of  certain 
measures  to  check  the  threatened  epidemic  of  bu- 
bonic plague  in  Bombay,  which  was  then  only  in 
a  mild  form  as  compared  with  later  developments. 
I  pointed  out  that  unless  the  measures  proposed 
by  me  were  adopted,  that  the  epidemic  would  con- 
tinue for  years  and  that  millions  of  lives  would  be 
sacrificed.  The  Viceroy,  following  the  advice  of 
his  incompetent  medical  Council,  took  the  posi- 
tion that  there  would  be  no  epidemic,  declaring 
that  the  few  isolated  cases  presented  no  danger 
to  the  city,  and  flouted  my  recommendations 
simply  through  personal  prejudice  and  jealousy. 
According  to  the  policy  followed  by  him  at  that 
time,  it  was  better  that  millions  of  lives  be  sacri- 
ficed than  that  credit  should  be  given  to  me  for 
averting  such  calamity.  The  plague  continued, 
and  according  to  statistics  some  eight  million  lives 
have  been  thus  wantonly  sacrificed. 

My  plan  for  the  development  of  the  natural  re- 
sources of  India  on  modern  scientific  lines  by  pri- 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

vate  enterprise  supported  by  the  Government  by 
means  of  appropriations  to  provide  for  loans  to 
encourage  such  industrial  development  by  indigi- 
nous  corporations,  to  remove  the  evils  of  foreign 
monopolies  and  combination  rings,  and  the  loss  of 
lives  sacrificed  by  famine,  and  the  political  unrest 
in  India,  while  approved  by  the  highest  authorities 
of  England  and  India,  and  certain  of  my  recom- 
mendations adopted  by  the  Empire,  were  quietly 
but  systematically  opposed  for  the  reason  that  it 
was  thought  that  my  growing  popularity  in  India 
might  prove  to  be  too  powerful  to  admit  of  my 
identity  being  longer  concealed  as  the  eldest  legiti- 
mate son  of  our  father,  and,  therefore,  the  rightful 
successor  to  the  Throne  of  England,  and  to  the 
Empire  of  India.  It  was  considered  by  the  princi- 
pals of  the  political  intrigue  to  be  better  that  India 
should  suffer,  and  that  a  bloody  revolution  should 
wrest  India  from  British  Eule  rather  than  justice 
should  be  done  to  myself  and  my  mother. 

Under  date  of  25th  September,  1906,  I  for- 
warded to  the  Imperial  Cancer  Eesearch  Fund 
(of  which  you  were  then  the  President),  a  memo- 
randum on  the  Guelph  Sterilization  System  in 
the  treatment  of  cancer.  I  also  addressed  a 
letter  to  His  Majesty  the  King  officially  on  the 
same  date,  and  forwarded  a  copy  of  the  said  memo- 
randum on  the  Guelph  System  for  the  treatment 
of  Cancer.  In  a  letter  dated  ' '  Buckingham  Palace, 
28th  September,  1906,"  the  King  conveyed  his 
thanks  to  me  for  having  introduced  the  Guelph 
System,  and  advised  me  that  he  had  caused  the 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph         385 

same  to  be  "Forwarded  to  the  Secretary  of  the 
Imperial  Cancer  Eesearch  Fund." 

In  your  presidential  address  at  the  annual  meet- 
ing of  the  General  Committee  in  July,  1907,  act- 
ing, no  doubt,  in  good  faith,  you  stated  that,  "The 
fact  that  alleged  cures  are  being  submitted  to  im- 
partial tests, will,  I  hope,  assure  the 

public  that  everything  will  be  done  to  take  full 
advantage  of  any  means  that  may  be  discovered 
to  alleviate  suffering "  and,  again,  "It  is  recog- 
nized that  the  work  is  conceived  and  carried  out  in 
a  liberal  spirit;  that  whatever  facts  are  ascer- 
tained are  immediately  made  known  to  every  one ; 
that  our  material  is  freely  placed  at  the  disposal 
of  all  who  are  qualified  to  use  it  to  good  advan- 
tage; that  our  staff  is  not  working  for  its  own 
ends,  but  with  a  whole-hearted  desire  to  help  on 
a  solution  of  the  problem. 

"Although  many  new  facts  have  been  ascer- 
tained, they  do  not  as  yet  justify  hopes  of  a  new 
treatment."  You  expressed  the  hope  that,  "The 
public  will  continue  by  its  sympathy  and  financial 
assistance  to  support  the  work  of  the  Imperial 
Cancer  Eesearch  Fund,  and  be  willing  to  exercise 
the  patience  necessary  for  prolonged  and  sys- 
tematic investigation." 

My  reason  for  having  submitted  the  Guelph 
System  for  the  treatment  of  cancer  to  my  father, 
the  King,  was  because  physicians  with  whom  I 
had  conferred  in  London,  explained  that  Dr. 
Bashford  would  not  submit  to  "impartial  tests," 
or  to  any  test  at  all,  anything  that  I  might  sub- 
mit to  the  Imperial  Cancer  Research  Fund.  Up- 


386         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  GuelpTi 

on  my  declaring  my  intention  to  send  the  matter 
through  the  Founder  and  Patron  of  the  Fund,  the 
same  gentleman  replied  that,  "The  professional 
clique  by  which  the  Fund  is  dominated,  would  ex- 
ercise its  'professional'  prerogative  and  'turn 
down'  the  King  with  as  scant  ceremony  as  would 
be  shown  to  me.''  Bashford  could  not  afford  to 
take  any  chances  on  the  honors  and  awards  for 
such  discovery  coming  to  a  son  of  the  King,  whose 
popularity  might  prove  to  be  a  little  embarrassing 
to  the  other  branch  of  the  family. 

It  was,  therefore,  with  a  view  to  ascertaining 
whether  or  not  a  public  institution  of  such  im- 
portance as  the  Imperial  Cancer  Research  Fund 
would  thus  insult  the  Sovereign,  the  Patron  of 
that  Institution,  and  suppress  this  matter,  thereby 
becoming  guilty  of  the  diabolical  offence  of  refus- 
ing to  accept  a  treatment  for  cancer  from  which 
disease  some  millions  of  lives  are  wantonly  sac- 
rificed each  year. 

The  Guelph  System  was  suppressed  by  Dr. 
Bashford ;  the  matter  was  not  even  put  up  to  the 
General  Committee.  The  King  was  ignored,  and 
this  important  Imperial  Cancer  Eesearch  Fund, 
which  assumes  the  authoritative  attitude  of  a  cen- 
tral organization  which,  as  you  claimed  in  your 
address  above  referred  to,  has  "influenced  the 
whole  nature  of  investigation  at  home  and 
abroad,"  is  placed  in  the  ridiculous  position  of  a 
one-man  institution,  public  funds  squandered,  and 
life  sacrificed,  reports  falsified,  the  public  deceived, 
and  asked  to  "exercise  patience,"  to  suffer  and  die 
fry  millions  per  year,  victims  of  a  political  in- 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph         387 

trigue  against  the  unfortunate  Prince,  who  has 
spent  his  life  to  save  victims  of  this  dread  disease. 
In  order  to  make  this  important  matter  per- 
fectly clear  to  you  and  to  the  public,  I  must  state 
that,  having  been  advised  beforehand  that  my 
system  would  be  suppressed  on  political  grounds, 
i.e.,  as  it  was  not  desired  by  certain  persons  at 
Court  that  I  should  acquire  any  popularity,  I  was 
careful  to  state  in  my  memorandum  that  the  late 
Eeverend  George  W.  Carpender,  M.D.,  (Ann  Ar- 
bor, Michigan,  '53),  for  forty  years  the  most  noted 
cancer  specialist  in  the  United  States  of  America, 
"was  for  years  associated  with  the  writer  (my- 
self) in  the  practice  of  medicine  and  in  scientific 
research,  for  the  perfection  of  the  system  of  medi- 
cal treatment  for  cancer  and  consumption,"  and 
further  that  that  eminent  specialist,  who  had  hun- 
dreds of  cases  sent  to  him  from  every  part  of  the 
country,  and  even  from  England,  "had  the  re- 
markable and  enviable  record  of  no  deaths  and 
no  return  of  cancer,  and  no  failures  in  the  hun- 
dreds of  cases  treated  by  him.  I  invited  investi- 
gation, and  requested  that  representatives  of  the 
Imperial  Cancer  Eesearch  Fund  should  be  ap- 
pointed to  "watch  cases  then  under  treatment  in 
the  Ladbroke  Nursing  Homes  and  at  South  End." 
The  disease  implies  unspeakable  suffering  and  a 
most  terrible  death.  Millions  of  lives  are  sacri- 
ficed and  the  governments  of  the  civilized  world, 
the  medical  and  all  public-spirited  people  are  tak- 
ing full  advantage  of  any  means  discovered  to 
alleviate  suffering,  and  to  discover  a  cure  for 
cancer. 


388         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

My  father  wrote  me  a  second  letter  on  the  above 
subject,  under  date  of  23rd  October,  1906,  express- 
ing his  "regret"  that  he  was  "unable  to  do  any- 
thing further  in  the  matter."  This  intimation 
was,  of  course,  intended  to  convey  to  me  the  wish 
of  my  father  that  I  allow  the  matter  to  stand  over 
for  the  time  being. 

The  foregoing  account  of  this  important  sub- 
ject speaks  for  itself.  Conservative  solicitors, 
however,  have  not  hesitated  to  state  that  the  same 
would  be  rejected  by  the  public  as  incredible.  The 
idea  that  a  public  institution,  supported  by  public 
funds,  in  the  interest  of  a  matter  of  such  vital  im- 
portance as  that  in  which  the  Imperial  Cancer  Re- 
search Fund  is  engaged  would  suppress  all  knowl- 
edge of  a  probable  cure  submitted  to  that  institu- 
tion by  the  Founder  and  Patron  of  the  Fund  and 
Sovereign  of  the  Eealm  certainly  justifies  such  in- 
ference on  the  part  of  every  intelligent  man  and 
woman.  The  following  copies  of  letters  from  the 
Secretary  of  the  Imperial  Cancer  Research  Fund 
and  from  Dr.  Bashford  (the  Fund  itself)  furnish 
irrefutable  evidence  as  to  the  truth  of  my  state- 
ment that  the  Imperial  Cancer  Research  Fund, 
with  its  Royal  Patrons,  its  Vice-Presidents  com- 
posed of  the  cream  of  the  United  Kingdom,  its 
millionaire  supporters,  and  its  multitude  of  sym- 
pathizers is,  in  reality,  a  "one-man  show," 
— Bashford. 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph         389 
"IMPERIAL  CANCER  RESEARCH  FUND 

Examination  Hall, 

Victoria  Embankment, 
London,  W.  C.,  3rd  October,  1906. 
'  '  Sir :  I  have  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  your 
letter  of  the  25th  ult.,  with  enclosed  memorandum, 
and  I  have  to  inform  you  that  it  is  contrary  to  the 
practice  of  the  Imperial  Cancer  Eesearch  Fund 
to  countenance  the  application  of  secret  remedies 
[the  Guelph  Systems  are  not  '  secret  remedies,' 
but,  like  Koch's  and  other  proprietary  prepara- 
tions which  have  been  submitted  to  '  impartial 
tests,'  were  put  forward  in  accordance  with  the 
general  custom  of  presenting  proprietary  prepara- 
tions] the  nature  of  which  has  not  been  the  sub- 
ject of  independent  investigation  in  our  labora- 
tories. 

"I  have  to  add  that  a  somewhat  similar  com- 
munication addressed  by  you  to  His  Majesty  the 
King  has  been  forwarded  to  this  Office, 
"lam,  Sir, 

"Yours  faithfully, 
(Signed)  "FREDERIC  C.  HALLETT, 
"Secretary." 


"IMPERIAL  CANCER  RESEARCH  FUND 


Examination  Hall, 

Victoria  Embankment, 
London,  W.  C.,  July  15th,  1906. 
"Sir:  With  reference  to  your  letter  of  the  llth 
inst.,  I  have  again  perused  your  previous  com- 


390         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelpli 

munication  and  the  memorandum  accompanying 
them,  and  I  beg  to  inform  you  that  I  am  unable  to 
take  any  action  in  regard  to  the  matter  to  which 
you  draw  attention. 

"lam,  Sir, 

"Yours  faithfully, 
(Signed)  "E.  F.  BASHFOBD." 

To  any  person  of  ordinary  intelligence  reading 
between  the  lines  of  the  last  paragraph  of  the  first 
letter  the  contempt  in  which  the  sovereign  au- 
thority of  the  King  is  held  is  most  apparent. 

I  trust  that  the  foregoing  brief  outline  of  the 
measures  which  I  now  intend  to  introduce  will 
appeal  to  my  people  and  to  the  civilized  world  as 
being  worthy  of  consideration  and  support. 

I  trust,  too,  that  you  will  see  the  advisability 
of  accepting  this  communication  in  the  peaceful 
spirit  in  which  it  is  tendered  to  you. 

The  peace  of  the  Empire  rests  with  you  and  the 
British  Parliament.  I  wish  to  be  distinctly  under- 
stood, however,  that  since  the  death  of  our  father, 
I  am  no  longer  under  obligations  to  remain  silent 
and  inactive;  and,  further,  that  in  the  event  of 
yourself,  the  British  Parliament  and  the  people  of 
the  United  Kingdom  failing  to  recognize  the  jus- 
tice of  my  position  as  the  rightful  heir-at-law  of 
our  father,  the  late  King  Edward  VII,  and  the 
value  of  the  reforms  which  I  intend  to  introduce 
in  the  interests  of  universal  peace,  it  is  my  inten- 
tion to  take  such  measures  as  may  be  necessary 
to  enforce  the  recognition  and  acceptance  of  the 
same  for  the  good  of  the  Empire. 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph         391 

This  being  a  national  question,  I  desire  to  still 
inscribe  myself,  notwithstanding  forty-nine  years 
self-sacrifice  on  the  part  of  my  mother  and  my- 
self, as 

Your  affectionate  brother, 

(Signed)  JOHN  B.  AND  I. 
Domiciled  in  the  United  States  of 
America,  under  the  title  of  Prince 
John  De  Guelph,  in  which  title  all 
correspondence  should  be  addressed. 
To  His  Majesty  King  George  V., 
Buckingham  Palace, 

London,  S.  W.,  England. 


106  Montague  Street, 
Brooklyn,  New  York, 

28th  June,  1910. 

The  Et.  Hon.  Hugh  Gourtenay  F.  Luttrell,  M.P., 
The  House  of  Commons, 

London,  England. 
Dear  Sir: 

My  attention  has  been  called  to  the  "pointed 
objection"  raised  by  you  at  a  recent  hearing  of 
the  Eegency  Bill  in  the  House  of  Commons  to  the 
clause  in  which  it  is  stated  that,  "if  the  heir-ap- 
parent marries  without  the  Eegent's  consent  the 
marriage  shall  be  null  and  void." 

The  question  as  asked  by  you,  according  to 
press  reports,  was,  "Does  not  this  provision  set 
up  a  direct  temptation  to  enter  into  a  marriage 
knowing  it  can  be  lightly  set  aside  afterward? 
i.  .  .  Such  a  law  would  be  very  severe  on  any  poor 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

girl  who  might  fall  in  love  with  her  sovereign. 
She  would  be  punished  while  he  goes  scot-free. ' ' 

I  desire  to  convey  to  you  my  sincere  thanks  for 
the  bold  stand  taken  by  you  as  a  champion  of  the 
virtue  of  England's  womanhood  and  motherhood 
and  the  rights  of  legitimate  issue  of  marriages  con- 
tracted in  accordance  with  the  provisions  of  the 
several  Acts  of  Parliament  and  the  canonical  and 
civil  disabilities  by  which  marriages  of  Kings, 
princes,  and  peasants  are  regulated  in  the  United 
Kingdom  of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland. 

The  Prime  Minister  in  framing  or  presenting  the 
said  Eegency  Bill  was,  of  course,  familiar  with  the 
provisions  of  the  12  George  III  C.  II  of  1772, 
designated  as  the  Eoyal  Marriage  Act. 

It  must,  therefore,  be  apparent  to  any  person  of 
ordinary  intelligence  that  the  clause  herein  re- 
ferred to  was  embodied  in  the  said  Eegency  Bill 
for  one  of  two  reasons : 

1.  That   the    said   Eoyal   Marriage   Act    (12 
George  III  C.  II)  is  admitted  to  be  contrary  to 
the  provisions  of  all  other  laws  of  both  Church 
and  State,  and,  therefore,  invalid  and  inoperable, 
as  it  was   so  recognized  to  be  by  George  III, 
George  IV,  William  IV,  and  also  by  the  ecclesi- 
astical and  civil  authorities  and  by  the  general 
public  during  the  reign  of  the   aforesaid   sover- 
eigns, or, 

2.  That  the  same  was  inserted  for  the  pur- 
pose of  testing  the  sentiment  of  the  British  Par- 
liament as  at    present    constituted,  and    of    the 
British  public  in  this  twentieth  century  of  ad- 
vanced civilization. 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  GuelpJi         393 

I  have  the  honor  to  state  that  copies  of  the  en- 
closed papers  were  forwarded  to  my  half-brother, 
known  as  King  George  V,  to  the  Prime  Minister, 
to  the  Et.  Hon.  A.  J.  Balfour,  to  Hon.  David- 
Lloyd-George,  and  to  a  number  of  other  Members 
of  the  Upper  and  Lower  Houses  of  Parliament 
some  time  prior  to  the  framing  of  the  said  Ee- 
gency  Bill. 

I  trust  that  you  will  give  the  enclosed  papers, 
my  Message  to  the  Members  of  the  Houses  of  Par- 
liament, and  "May  God  Defend  the  Eight/'  your 
careful  consideration  and  loyal  support. 

As  intimated  in  the  enclosed  documents  it  is  my 
purpose  to  abolish  this  diabolical  custom  of  royal 
polygamy. 

Very  sincerely  yours, 
(Signed)  JOHN  EDWARD  WETTIN-GUELPH. 

EXTRACT  FROM  A  LETTER  FROM  PRINCE  JOHN  R. 
DE  GUELPH  TO  HIS  MAJESTY  KING  EDWARD  VII. 

50  Broadway,  New  York, 

4th  November,  1909. 
To  His  Majesty  King  Edward  VII, 
Buckingham  Palace, 

London,  S.  W. 
Sire:   In  view  of  the  political  unrest  in  India, 

I  am  once  more  constrained  to 

place  my  services  at  Your  Majesty's  command. 

In  my  communication  to  you,  under  date  of  12th 
December,  1902,  I  placed  before  Your  Majesty 
some  details  of  the  results  of  my  investigations  in 
India, I  ventured  to  assure  you 


394         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

that  I  was  prepared  to  undertake  any  mission  of  a 
diplomatic  nature  in  India,  Burma,  Siam,  Japan, 
or  China.  I  advised  Your  Majesty  that  the  Japa- 
nese Government  conferred  with  me,  through  a 
Commission,  in  reference  to  the  political,  commer- 
cial and  economic  conditions  in  China,  Japan, 

Corea,  Siam,  Burma,  India,  and  Ceylon. 

*****  *          * 

In  1903,  8th  January,  I  again  took  the  liberty 
to  address  Your  Majesty  on  the  subject  of  an  im- 
proved policy  for  the  administration  of  India, 
whereby  the  economic  conditions  would  be  ma- 
terially improved,  and  the  political  unrest  would 
be  practically  removed. 

Following  upon  the  communication  here  re- 
ferred to,  which  was  heartily  commended  by  states- 
men, princes,  the  press  and  the  public  throughout 
India,  I  submitted  to  the  India  Office  a  plan  which 
I  proposed  to  carry  out  in  India  for  the  improve- 
ment of  the  economic  and  commercial  conditions 
in  the  Indian  Empire,  on  the  lines  of  my  proposed 
policy  herein  referred  to,  for  the  extensive  devel- 
opment of  the  natural  resources  of  the  country  on 
modern  scientific  lines,  by  the  formation  of  an 
indigenous  corporation,  to  be  controlled  and  oper- 
ated by  local  capitalists,  to  counteract  the  de- 
plorable effect  of  existing  trusts,  or  combination 
rings,  which  render  ineffective  the  efforts  of  Your 
Majesty's  Government  to  improve  the  prevailing 
conditions  of  poverty  and  distress  among  Your 
Majesty's  subjects  in  India. 

The  said  plan  was  submitted  to  the  late  Illius 
A.  Timmis,  the  well  known  engineer  of  No.  2 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph         395 

Great  George  Street,  Westminster,  who,  after  hav- 
ing made  a  tour  of  inspection  through  India  and 
Burma,  "  heartily  approved "  of  the  plan  in  its 
entirety. 

The  plan  was  also  submitted  to  the  press  in  this 
country.  The  project  was  immediately  taken  up 
by  the  press  throughout  India.  A  few  brief  ex- 
tracts from  editorials  of  leadings  newspapers, 
from  letters  received  from  the  editor  of  the  lead- 
ing Hindu  paper  in  Calcutta,  and  from  prominent 
bankers  and  other  authorities,  will  convey  to  Your 
Majesty  some  idea  of  the  far-reaching  effect  that 
the  operation  of  my  plan  in  India  must  have  had  in 
removing  the  political  agitation,  and  restoring 
peace  and  prosperity  throughout  the  Empire.  The 
Armita  Bazaar  Patrica,  under  the  head  of  "Glad 
Tidings  for  India,"  stated,  "The  news  is  too  good 
to  be  believed,  but  it  seems  the  salvation  of  India 
is  at  hand."  The  project  was  attributed  to  Lord 
Curzon,  who  was  then  Viceroy  of  India.  The  arti- 
cle, as  the  result  of  this  error,  continued,  "Lord 
Curzon  is  the  alleged  saviour."  At  the  close  of 
this  article  of  a  column  and  a  half  the  following 
statement  was  made,  which  showed  the  depth  of 
feeling  and  gratitude  manifested  by  Your 
Majesty's  subjects  in  India  at  the  bare  prospect  of 
the  introduction  of  measures  which  they  knew 
would  forever  solve  the  terrible  problem  of  famine 
in  India :  ' l  Here  we  end  our  meagre  account  of  a 
project  which  will  fill  the  Indian's  heart  with 
gladness  and  hope." 

It  was  necessary  for  the  Company  to  remove 
the  misunderstanding  with  reference  to  the  con- 


396         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

nection  of  Lord  Curzon's  name  with  the  project. 
When  that  was  done,  one  of  the  leading  bankers 
in  Calcutta  wrote,  "The  press  and  the  public  de- 
mand to  know  to  whom  India  is  indebted  for  this 
project,  which  means  practically  the  fingering  of 
the  plague  spot  in  India. "  The  editor  of  the 
above-named  paper  wrote,  "As  soon  as  we  saw  an 
account  of  the  project  in  the  Philosophical  Journal 
we  were  led  to  take  immediate  notice  of  it ;  we  saw 
that  it  was  just  what  was  wanted  for  the  salvation 
of  India.  We  will  give  our  life 's  blood  for  the  suc- 
cess of  the  enterprise." 

A  Prince  of  India  wrote,  offering  the  Company 
two  thousand  acres  of  land  for  the  purpose  of  the 
first  of  the  proposed  schools  of  technology.  And 
many  other  offers  of  cooperation  and  support  were 
sent  in  to  the  Company.  Bankers  wrote  that 
"there  would  be  no  hitch  in  raising  the  entire 
amount  of  capital  required,  when  once  the  work 
was  launched."  As  a  matter  of  fact  the  entire 
allotment  of  securities  promised  to  the  bankers  of 
India  was  reserved  before  the  share  lists  were 
opened. 

A  limited  liability  company  was  registered  for 
the  purpose  of  carrying  out  the  project.  Arrange- 
ments were  concluded  with  banks  and  trust  com- 
panies to  underwrite  the  Company's  securities,  in 
order  to  absolutely  protect  shareholders  from  pos- 
sible loss.  Every  share  of  the  capital  stock  was 
guaranteed  by  the  issuance  of  a  gold  bond,  carry- 
ing interest  at  six  per  cent  per  annum,  and  held 
in  trust  by  the  trustees  for  the  stockholders,  and 
protected  by  real  estate  security  of  double  the 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph         397 

value  of  the  amount  of  investment,  in  addition  to 
having  the  first  claim  on  the  entire  assets  of  the 
Company.  A  measure  that  was  deemed  advisable 
to  meet  the  contingencies  of  the  possible  inter- 
ference with  the  Company's  business  through  the 
outbreak  of  war  (see  facsimile  of  prospectus). 

The  Corporation  had  acquired  the  rights  of  irri- 
gation machinery  and  other  assets  preparatory 
to  the  inauguration  of  the  proposed  operations. 
American  capital  was  offered  for  the  financing  of 
the  enterprise,  but  was  declined  for  the  reason  that 
it  was  considered  desirable  to  employ  British 
capital. 

Your  Majesty  may  be  surprised  to  learn  that 
when  the  Corporation  in  question  was  all  prepared 
to  inaugurate  the  work,  the  representatives  of  the 
Corporation  in  India  were  visited  by  local  officials, 
who  brought  such  pressure  to  bear  upon  the  repre- 
sentatives that  they  were  compelled,  much  against 
their  will,  to  drop  out. 

The  Corporation  in  question  having  taken  every 
precaution  to  safeguard  the  interests  of  share- 
holders, and  having  incurred  considerable  expense 
for  the  carrying  out  o±  an  enterprise  which  all 
authorities  to  whom  the  project  was  submitted 
declared  would  double  the  revenue  of  districts  in 
which  it  might  operate,  in  less  than  ten  years,  and, 
at  the  same  time,  was  declared  to  be  the  "only 
means  whereby  India  could  be  saved  to  the  British 
rule, ' '  contemplated  bringing  suit  against  the  Sec- 
retary of  State  for  India,  for  this  unheard  of  ac- 
tion against  their  representatives. 

I  subsequently  learned  that  the  trouble  was  the 


398         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  GuelpTi 

result  of  some  personal  feeling  against  myself.  It 
was  not  deemed  wise  by  certain  parties  to  have  me 
identified  with  so  popular  an  enterprise  as  that 
which  had  already  caused  me  to  be  acclaimed  by 
the  press  throughout  the  Empire  as  "The  saviour 
of  India. "  Foreseeing  that  any  action  that  might 
be  brought  by  the  said  Corporation  against  Your 
Majesty's  Secretary  of  State  for  India,  who  had 
apparently  confounded  an  individual,  myself,  with 
a  duly  registered  Corporation,  would  inevitably 
lead  to  very  unpleasant  developments  involving 
explanations  of  the  identity  of  the  director  of  the 
Company  who  had  been  thus  attacked,  I  caused  the 
matter  to  be  dropped. 

I  have  no  hesitation  in  saying  that  the  action 
of  the  officials  in  India  in  having  opposed  the  in- 
auguration of  this  most  worthy  enterprise,  which, 
in  the  words  of  a  prominent  banker  and  the  press 
of  all  India,  "Had  been  received  with  open  arms 
by  all  classes  and  all  communities,"  has  played  a 
very  important  part  in  the  rapid  development  of 
the  "terrorist"  activities  referred  to  at  the  be- 
ginning of  this  letter. 

It  is  most  regrettable  that  any  personal  feeling 
against  an  individual  should  be  permitted  to  inter- 
fere in  any  way  with  a  matter  of  such  far-reaching 
political  importance  as  the  subject  herein  re- 
ferred to ! 

When  in  London  in  1907  I  addressed  His  Ex- 
cellency, the  Secretary  of  State  for  India,  on  the 
subject  of  the  activity  of  the  socialist  party  in 
India,  offering  to  render  Your  Majesty's  Govern- 
ment such  service  as  my  intimate  knowledge  of  the 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelpfa         399 

situation  there  would  enable  me  to  do.  I  regret 
to  have  to  state  that  my  loyalty  to  Your  Majesty's 
person  and  throne  was  not  appreciated  as  I  had 
hoped  it  would  have  been;  presumably  for  the 
same  reason  that  my  previous  efforts  to  serve  Your 
Majesty  have  been  opposed  by  a  narrow  and  short- 
sighted administration,  which  is  responsible  for 
much  of  the  political  unrest  in  Your  Majesty's 
Indian  Empire. 

If  Your  Majesty  will  do  me  the  honor  to  com- 
mand that  I  may  be  permitted  to  serve  Your 
Majesty's  Government  and  the  Public  Service,  by 
the  carrying  out  of  my  plans  for  the  improvement 
of  the  economic  conditions  in  India  and  for  the 
peaceful  adjustment  of  the  present  political  dis- 
turbances throughout  the  Empire,  in  such  capacity 
as  Your  Majesty  may  be  pleased  to  command,  I 
beg  to  assure  you  that  the  opinions  expressed  by  so 
many  authorities  will  be  substantiated  in  every 
particular,  and  that  the  troublesome  events,  and 
the  long  continued  unrest  in  India  will  be  rapidly 
overcome  and  peace  and  prosperity  firmly  es- 
tablished. 

If  for  any  reason  Your  Majesty  should  deem  it 
inadvisable  that  I  should  personally  be  identified 
with  the  active  work,  or  in  the  actual  carrying  out 
of  the  proposed  improvements,  I  shall  be  happy 
to  arrange  my  plans  for  the  industrial  develop- 
ment of  India,  and  to  submit  my  suggestions  for 
the  future  policy  for  the  better  administration  of 
Your  Majesty's  Indian  Empire,  in  such  manner 
that  the  same  may  be  carried  out  in  such  manner 
as  Your  Majesty  may  approve.  As  stated  before, 


400         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

I  ana  indifferent  as  to  receiving  personal  honors, 
my  life  has  been  devoted  to,  and  my  investigations 
conducted  in,  the  entire  interest  of  Your  Majesty 
and  the  British  Empire. 

I  pray  that  my  services  and  loyal  devotion  to 
your  Majesty's  person  and  to  the  Throne  may  be 
acceptable. 

I  am  Your  Majesty's  Most  Obedient  Servant, 

JOHN  E.  DE  GUELPH. 


r 


Memoirs  of  Prmce  John  De  Guelph        401 


•ecnrity  sBcnatet  sara-aannatly  by  accrued  rater- 
£tt  and  put  paycient  of  principal  oo  mortgage, 
{Third.  Bewuse  the  tecnrity  Is  absolute.  No 
ftrmgency  »  the  Money  market,  no  panic,  oo  tank 
Winre,  can  affect  the  vatee  of  bond,  thus  secured. 
And.  lastly,  became  the  Preferred  Shares  com- 
mand a  higher  me  of  interest  than  paid  by  barb, 
and  became  the  tabscriber  holds  shares  in  one  of 
the  mo*  profitable  enterprises  known,  and,  while 
not  looking  for  the  dividend!  above  quoted,  viz.  of 
to  to  150  per  cent  as  received  by  houses  in  the 
Asiatic  trade,  he  is  practically  assured  of  hand- 
some returns  and  a  permanent  income,  that  will 
furoith  him  with  a  competence  to  make  him  or 
ner independent 

The  Iwm-CoNTnrurTAi.  Ain>P«K- 
Orgaatutloa.  nnpuut  Couumcui.  Connurr, 

Limited,  was  organized  as  the  re- 
•tilt  of  ultimate  relations  between  Eorope,  America 

crease  in  trade  between  Great  Britain  and  the 
United  State,  with  Asia. 

'The  originator  of  the  plans  to  be  carried  out  by 
the  Company  has  had  an  experience  extending  orer 
twenty-four  years  in  the  Asiatic  trade  question. 
He  is  a  man  thoroughly  familiar  with  the  peoples 
of  Asa,  their  customs  and  manners,  religion,  Ian- 
rand  commerce.  The  project  is  endorsed  by 


s  people. 


The  management  of  the  Company 
is  cvuftnatm;  its  policy  •  pro 
directorate  ap- 


pointed for  pnpose  of  organization 

men  of  experience,  whose  honor  and  integrity  ha* 

ttcodtaetetfoftiaeandthtfireof  aoutio 


fte.reteBl.bSe  Maof  fW  Britain.  America  »ad 
•Asia  wflrtbortly  be  added  to  the  already  dkcfcot 
Beard.  ,..''• 

With    the    confidence    Van    of 


The  introductic*  of  a  through  hoe 
of  steamship  service  between  the 
Pacific  Coast,  United  State*  of 

America  and  British  Colombia  with  India  and 

ports  of  call  has  been  sanctioned.    Also  tor  the 

Coast  Trade  in  Asia, 

The  first  steamer,  the  "  Santidab,"  will  sail  is 
i  have  been  completed.  Other 
i  to  follow  in  regular  order;  the  schedule 

will  be  advertised  . 

Pending  the  construction  of  new 

Charur  steamers   for  the  Company,  the 

of  Ships.  Maritime  Agency.  150  LeadenhaU 

Street.  London.  E,  C,  England. 

have  been  appointed  agenta  to  teore  charter  oo 


The  construction  of  five  rice  mills 
Rk*  Mill*,  hat  been  sanctioned,  and  will  bt 

proceeded  with  at  the  earliest  pos- 
sible date.  Three  in  Burma  ao4  two  i»  Bengal 
Others  will  be  added  at  needed 

The  net  profits  of  existing  mills  are  from  to  pet 
cent  to  130  per  cent  per  annum  on  investment. 
A  more  reasonable  return  on  invetted  capital 
will  better  the  condition  of  the  cultivators,  in- 
crease the  area  for  cultivation  of  the  prochrt. 
which  win  increase  the  bonnets,  hence  enhance 
the  profit,  of  the  Comyiny.  on  th*  pnadpi.  that 
t5 


*  per  cent  on  a  million  ton  would  be  better  thao 
100  per  cent  on  ten  thousand  tons. 

All   troc   Ben,    moreovei.    wooM 
'••MM  ••*    support    the    innovation    for   the 


curse  of  famiae  and  pestilence 
from  the  great  peninsula  of  India, 
Which  is  reducing  hi  300,000,000  inhabitants  to  a 
condition  that  beggars  description. 

The  general  agents  of  the  Com- 
ttrmlnf          pany  in  India,  Messrs.  Guelph  & 
Coterie,  .nd  Son,  are  engaged  in  securing  large 
liwutute.  of   tracts  of  land  by  lease  and  pur- 
nology.     chase,  for  the  purpose  of  farming, 
milling  and  manufacturing.    Fann- 
ing colonies  and  institutes  of  technology  will  be 
established  on  a  practical  basis.    Existing  colonies 
are  conducted  at  a  great  profit. 

Lands  will  be  leased  and  sub-leased  to  farmers 
at  moderate  rates. 

,  the  Company  will  enter  into  an 

cotton.  agreement  with  the  lessees  of  its 

lands  to  cultivate  long-stapled  cot-' 
ton.  The  general  agents  are  now  in  correspond- 
ence with  the  leading  cotton  centers  of  Europe, 
With  a  view  to  furnishing  long-stapled  cotton,  for 
which  there  is  an  increasing  demand. 

The  Company  is  arranging  for  the 
Modern  introduction  of  modem  machinery 

Machinery  and  farming  implements  for  the 
•lid  Method*  development  of  the  agricultural. 
to  b*  Intro-  manufacturing  and  mining  indus- 
duc*d  In  tries  in  India.  The  same  to  be 

India.  sold,  leased  or  hired  for  cash  or 

other   consideration.    The    S.    S. 
*Santidah.»  which  will  leave  early,  will  take  the 
first  consignment  of  machinery. 
16 


Banks  of  Commerce  will  be  OfOMd 
in  Calcutta  and  other  centers,  tar 
the  fuxommodation  of  oar  ••Croat. 
These  will  bt  extended  to  other  coanpiei  m 
occasion  demands. 

Pandit  Sunder  Laal  Miner,  a  prominent  Indian 
Banker  of  Calcutta,  has  been  appointed  Commis- 
sioncr  and  Representative  in."  India,  and  win  he 
entrusted  with  this  important  branch  in  conjunc- 
tion with  the  officers  of  the  Company. 

The  British  Government  hat  m- 

rigation  m  India  upon  scientific 
lines,  with  a  view  to  .overcome  the  ever  increasing 
frequency  of  famine.  The  most  elaborate  of  these 
systems  being  the  Ganges  Canal  with  its  branches, 
and  the  canal  system  of  the  deltas  of  the  rivers 
Mahanadi,  Godavari.  Krishna  and  Kaveri.  The 
five  riven  of  the  Punjab  have  also  their  great 
canals;  and  the  Indus  is  to  Smd  what  the  Nile  it 
to  Egypt  AH  of  the  above  systems  involved  ail- 
expenditure  to  the  British  Government  of  $17$.- 


8«cl«lrrt 


About  two  million  acres  of  desert 
land  in  the  Punjab  have  been  irri- 
gated and  colonized  through  the 
Chenab  Canal,  at  a  cost  of  fj  per 
1902,  after  deducting  amount  of  large 
grants  made  to  the  settlers,  a  net 

fit  Proflu      *ro6t  of  «8  per  cent  on  invested 

ag%.  capital  was  shown.  When  the 

system  is  completed  and  in  full 

working  order  not  less  than  25  per  cent  per  annum 

Will  be  realized, 

rr 


40$         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 


It  is  requested  that  in  any  further  com- 
munication on  this  subject  the  under-men- 
tioned letter  and  number  may  be  quoted,  and 
the  reply  addressed  to  the  Under  Secretary 
of  State  of  India, 

India  Office, 

Whitehall, 

London,   S.  W. 
J.   &   P.   4490. 


India  Office, 

Whitehall, 

London,  S.  W., 
December  10th,  1909. 

Sir :  I  am  directed  by  the  Secretary  of  State  for 
India  to  inform  you  that  your  Petition  dated  4th 
November  last  has  been  laid  before  the  King  and 
that  His  Majesty  was  not  pleased  to  issue  any 
commands  thereon. 

I  am,  Sir, 

Your  Obedient  Servant, 

E.  RITCHIE. 
JOHN  E.  DE  GUELPH. 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph         400 

THE  LADBKOKE  NUKSING  ASSOCIATION  AND  HOMES, 

111  Ladbroke  Grove,  North  Kensington, 

London,  W.,  and  6,  Royal  Terrace, 

Southend-on-Sea. 

September  25th,  1906. 

To  His  Majesty,  Edward  VII., 

King  of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland,  etc., 
Buckingham  Palace,  S.  W. 

Sire:  I  beg  to  address  Your  Majesty  as  the 
founder  and  patron  of  the  Edward  VII  Sanato- 
rium for  Consumptives,  and  to  invite  Your  Maj- 
esty's attention  to  the  arrangements  recently  made 
by  the  Bed  Cross  Army  Medical  Corps  of  the  Royal 
Asiatic  Academy  of  Science,  for  the  admission  and 
treatment  of  cases  of  consumption  and  cancer,  in 
the  Ladbroke  Nursing  Homes  in  London,  and  at 
Southend-on-Sea.  Cancer  cases  will  be  received  in 
the  London  Home,  at  111  Ladbroke  Grove,  North 
Kensington,  W. ;  and  consumptives,  in  most  cases, 
at  the  Home  at  Southend-on-Sea,  Essex. 

The  system  of  treatment  to  be  followed  is  the 
"Guelph  Sterilization  Cure  for  Cancer  and  Con- 
sumption, "  adopted  by  the  Medical  Department 
of  the  R.  A.  A.  S.  some  years  ago  in  America,  and 
which  has  been  attended  with  most  successful  and 
indisputable  results. 

It  is  now  intended  to  introduce  the  "Guelph 
Sterilization  Cure  for  Cancer  and  Consumption/' 
in  all  the  large  centers  of  Europe,  Asia  and 
America,  and  to  appoint  Medical  Officers  and  Sani- 
tary Commissioners  to  cooperate,  as  far  as  possi- 
ble with  the  Government  and  municipal  authorities 


404?         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

in  combating  the  aforesaid  diseases  and  in  all  mat- 
ters governing  the  public  health. 

For  myself,  personally,  I  could  wish  for  no 
greater  honor  than  the  privilege  of  offering  to  my 
king  and  country  the  fruits  of  my  life's  study  and 
research  during  my  wanderings  in  Asia  and  other 
lands;  and  thus,  at  last,  have  the  honor  of  con- 
tributing in  some  measure  toward  stamping  out 
the  national  scourge — the  " White  Plague/' 

The  amelioration  of  the  suffering  of  my  coun- 
try would  be  ample  reward  for  the  years  of  my 
voluntary  exile  and  the  loss  of  all  that  life  holds 
dear — home. 

I  gladly  bury  my  personality  in  a  public  insti- 
tution in  order  to  better  serve  the  public  interest 
and  so  fulfill  my  obligation  and  duty  to  my  King 
and  nation. 

I  would,  therefore,  beg  that  Your  Majesty  may 
be  pleased  to  favorably  consider  this  communica- 
tion and  the  enclosed  paper  on  the  subject  of  the 
adoption  of  the  "Guelph  Sterilization  Cure  for 
Cancer  and  Consumption,"  and  that  Your  Majesty 
may  be  pleased  to  have  the  same  forwarded  to  the 
management  of  the  "Edward  VII  Sanatorium  for 
Consumptives,"  for  their  information  and  to  in- 
vite the  management  to  avail  themselves  of  the 
advantages  offered  by  the  "Guelph  Sterilization 
System  in  the  treatment  of  Consumption." 

It  will  afford  me  great  pleasure  to  attend  per- 
sonally to  any  cases  in  the  Edward  VII.  Santorium 
for  Consumptives  or  other  Institutions  and  to  re- 
ceive cases  for  treatment  in  the  Ladbroke  Nursing 
Homes. 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph         405 

I  beg  to  point  out  the  fact  that  it  is  not  intended 
to  disclose  the  details  of  the  "Guelph  Sterilization 
Cure  for  Cancer  and  Consumption"  at  this  time,  it 
being  the  purpose  of  the  Academy  to  compete  for 
various  awards  offered  for  any  discovery  for  the 
cure  of  cancer  and  for  the  cure  of  consumption. 

When  the  merit  of  the  Guelph  Sterilization  Sys- 
tem shall  have  been  recognized,  which  recogniza- 
tion  is  inevitable,  the  awards  that  may  be  received 
will  be  devoted  to  the  establishment  of  other  in- 
stitutions for  the  benefit  of  the  public  in  general 
and  of  the  sick  poor  in  particular.  It  should  be 
stated  that  the  "  Guelph  Sterilization  Cure  for 
Cancer  and  Consumption"  was  adopted  by  the 
Academy  as  a  result  of  many  years  of  investiga- 
tion and  clinical  experience  in  Europe,  Asia  and 
America,  during  which  period  hundreds  of  cases 
of  cancer  have  been  cured  without  the  knife,  with- 
out a  death,  without  a  return  of  cancer  and  without 
a  failure. 

The  "Guelph  Sterilization  Cure  for  Cancer  and 
Consumption"  consists  of  a  graduated  system  of 
internal  and  external  hygienic  medication,  selected 
from  the  Occidental  and  Oriental  Schools  of 
Medicine. 

The  internal  treatment  for  both  cancer  and  con- 
sumption is  comprised  of  vegetable  compounds, 
the  ingredients  of  which  were  selected  chiefly  from 
the  ancient  Sanskrit  Medical  authorities  of  India 
and  at  the  present  time  are  unobtainable  in 
England. 

The  result  of  observation  and  clinical  experi- 
ence, covering  a  period  of  25  years,  has  established 


406         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

the  fact  that  the  physiological  and  therapeutic  ac- 
tion of  the  vegetable  compound  renders  sterile 
pathological  germs,  fungi,  bacteria,  tubercle, 
baccilli,  etc. 

In  the  pretubercle  stage  of  consumption,  the 
tubercle  bacilli  are  aborted,  and  the  disease  ar- 
rested in  the  early  stages. 

In  the  advanced  stages  of  tubercle,  cancer,  or 
other  malignant  growth,  the  physiological  and 
therapeutic  action  of  the  compounds  is  directed 
to  the  pathological  tissue,  and  the  baccilli  bacteria, 
cancer  cells,  etc.,  are  rendered  sterile  and  inopera- 
tive. The  pathological  tissue  separates  from  the 
healthy  tissue,  and  the  healing  process  is  aided 
by  the  creative  action  of  the  medicine  on  healthy 
tissue. 

From  the  foregoing  it  will  be  observed  that  the 
"Guelph  Sterilization  Cure  for  Cancer  and  Con- 
sumption" is  specific  in  both  the  prevention  and 
cure  of  cancer,  consumption,  catarrhal  affections 
and  other  scrofulous  diseases. 

The  external  treatment  by  the  "Guelph  Sterili- 
zation" system,  for  the  removal  of  cancer  and 
other  malignant  growths  has  been  rendered  prac- 
tically painless,  and,  as  in  the  internal  treatment, 
renders  the  cancerous  growth  sterile. 

The  cancer  cells  being  drawn  from  the  blood 
are  absorbed  by  the  parent  cancer  during  the  proc- 
ess of  sterilization,  with  which  they  are  rendered 
abortive,  and  in  from  three  to  five  days  is  then 
lifted  out  bodily  from  its  nest  without  inconveni- 
ence to  the  patient,  or  is  allowed  to  slough  itself 
off,  according  to  the  nature  of  the  growth. 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph         407 

The  healing  process  is  rapid,  as  all  cancer  cells 
having  been  removed  the  danger  of  return  of  can- 
cer is  practically  eliminated. 

In  conclusion  I  beg  to  enclose  a  copy  of  a  paper 
on  the  adoption  of  the  "Guelph  Sterilization  cure 
for  Cancer  and  Consumption,"  from  which  it  will 
be  observed  that  the  system  of  treatment  is  based 
on  rational  hygienic  medication,  to  aid  and  assist 
nature  in  its  remedial  effort:  and  is  opposed  to 
surgical  operation  for  the  removal  of  cancer,  by 
which  operation  the  cancer  cells  are  diffused 
through  the  blood,  and,  later  manifest  in  return  of 
cancer,  or  are  forced  back  upon  the  lungs  or  other 
vital  organ.  The  Guelph  Sterilization  System,  it 
will  be  seen,  is  also  opposed  to  inoculation  of 
serums,  anti-toxins  and  other  measures,  such  as 
vaccination,  whereby  the  virus  of  Kine-pox  or 
other  diseased  germs  are  forced  into  the  blood  to 
manifest  at  a  later  date,  in  an  aggravated  form 
of  consumption,  or  other  scrofulous  diseases. 

Trusting  that  Your  Majesty  may  be  graciously 
pleased  to  have  this  matter  brought  to  the  notice 
of  the  "Edward  VII  Sanatorium  for  Consump- 
tives" and  before  the  health  department  of  your 
Majesty 9s  government,  for  the  purpose  of  having 
the  "Guelph  Sterilization  Cure  for  Cancer  and 
Consumption"  adopted  by  the  Sanatorium,  and  by 
Your  Majesty's  Government. 

I  beg  to  remain,  Sire, 
Your  Majesty's  Most  Obedient  Servant, 
(Signed)  JNO.  E.  GUELPH-NOKMAN,  M.D., 

Medical  Director,  R.  C.  A.  M.  C. 


408         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 


9i  BUCKINGHAM    PALACE. 

Tne  Private  Secretary  is  commanded  by 
The.  King  to  thank  Dr  J*R.Gr,Hornan  for  his 
letter  of  tne  25tn  inst :  on  tne  subject 
of  the  Guelph.  Sterilization  Cure  for 
Cancer  and  Consumption  \7hicli  has  been 
forwarded  to  the  Secretary  of  tne  Cancer 
Ke  Bearer.  Pond. 

28tn  September  1905. 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph         409 


IMPERIAL  CANCER  RESEARCH  FUND. 


HIS_XAJESTY  THE  KING: 


.H.R:H.    THE    PRINCE   OF   WALES. . 

Ylee-Proideou. 

LORD    LISTER.  LORD    STRATHCONA    4    MOUNT    ROYAL,    C.C.M.G. 

RIGHT    HON.    A.    J.    BALFOUR,    M.P.  SIK    WILLIAM    BROADBENT,    BART.,    K.C.V.O. 

I1R   JULIUS    WERNHER,  BAKT.        MIL    H.    L.    BISCHOFFSHEIM.        MB.    W.    WALDORF   ASTOR. 
r:— MR.    HENRY    MORRIS.,.  Sn^/a^-MR.    FREDERIC   G.    HALLETT." 


Offiv  *ftlu  F~u. '•- 

EXAMINATION    HALL, 

VICTORIA    EMBANKMENT 

LONDON.    W.C. 

3rd.  Ootobex'  1906. 


Sir, 

I  have  to'  acknowledge  the  receipf  of  your  letter  of  the  25th. 
ult.,  and  enclosed  memorandum^  and  I  have  to  inform  you  that  It 
is  contrary  to  the  practice  of  the  Imperial  Cancer  Research  Fund 
to  countenance  the  application  of  secret  remedies,  the  nature  of 
which  has  not  been  the  subject  of . independent  Investigation  In 
our  laboratories. 

I  have  to  add  that  a  somewhat  similar  cora?mmi cation  addrosse£ 
Hy  you  to  His  Majesty  the  King  has  been  forwarded  to  this  Office. 
I  am.  Sir, 

Yours  faithfully. 


Secretary, 
l.R.  Guelph  Norman,  Esq.  M.D. 


410         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

111  Ladbroke  Grove, 
North  Kensington,  W., 

21st  October,  1906. 
To  His  Majesty,  the  King, 

Buckingham  Palace. 

Sire:  I  beg  to  thank  Your  Majesty  for  having 
caused  my  communication  of  25th  ultimo,  relative 
to  the  Guelph  rational  system  of  treatment  and 
prevention  of  cancer  and  consumption  to  be  for- 
warded to  the  Imperial  Cancer  Eesearch  Fund 
for  investigation. 

It  is  with  profound  regret  that  I  have  to  ap- 
prise you  of  the  contempt  in  which  Your  Majesty's 
pleasure  is  held  by  a  professionalism  as  prejudiced 
and  bigoted  as  in  the  days  when  the  illustrious 
Harvey  was  its  victim. 

I  had  watched  with  great  interest  and  pride 
Your  Majesty's  attitude  toward  the  amelioration 
of  suffering;  and  the  active  measures  introduced 
in  past  years,  by  your  command,  for  the  reduction 
of  the  terrible  death  roll  of  over  five  million  per 
annum  from  consumption  alone. 

The  organization  of  the  League  of  Mercy,  the 
Imperial  Cancer  Research  Fund,  the  King  Edward 
VII  Sanatorium  for  consumptives,  and  other  insti- 
tutions, under  Your  Majesty's  patronage,  define 
not  only  the  policy  for  the  good  of  the  Empire, 
adopted  by  Your  Majesty  as  the  principal  feature 
of  your  reign,  but  a  heart  full  of  sympathy  for 
suffering  humanity — a  reign  to  be  marked  by  the 
introduction  of  measures  for  the  prevention  and 
cure  of  the  scourge  of  cancer  and  consumption, 
an  example  deserving  of  the  attention  and  con- 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph         411 

sideration  of  every  medical  man  in  the  world ;  and 
a  policy  that  should  demand  and  command  the 
support,  cooperation  and  dutiful  service  of  every 
subject  in  Your  Majesty's  Empire. 

The  contemptuous  manner  in  which  Your 
Majesty's  action  in  the  present  matter  was  treated 
by  the  Imperial  Cancer  Research  Fund,  shows  but 
too  plainly  that  bigoted  professional  prerogative 
will  assert  itself  even  in  the  twentieth  century  as 
high-handedly  as  in  the  dark  ages — no  matter  if 
the  King  command,  or  the  death  rate  be  five  times 
five  million  a  year. 

In  bringing  to  the  notice  of  Your  Majesty  the 
results  of  some  twenty-five  years'  research  con- 
ducted in  various  parts  of  the  world,  I  was  sure 
of  the  favorable  consideration  shown  by  you,  and 
I  had  hoped  that  Your  Majesty's  exalted  position, 
if  no  other  qualification,  would  command  the  at- 
tention of  an  investigation  by  the  department  or 
public  body  to  which  you  might  refer  the  matter. 

I  had  been  prepared  by  professional  brethren 
for  some  opposition  from  organizations. 

It  had  also  been  intimated  to  me  that  Your 
Majesty  "is  entirely  in  the  hands"  of  the  same. 

In  my  communication  addressed  to  the  Imperial 
Cancer  Research  Fund  I  introduced  the  subject 
of  the  Guelph  system  for  the  prevention  and  treat- 
ment of  cancer  and  consumption.  I  was  aware 
that  the  rational  hygienic  medical  system  in  ques- 
tion is  opposed  to  much  of  the  line  of  research  be- 
ing followed  by  that  body.  I  was  fully  sensible 
of  the  fact  that  in  criticizing  the  line  of  research 
as  the  line  of  action  that  will  cause  rather  than 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

prevent  and  cure  cancer,  I  was  challenging  the 
most  "eminent"  medical  men  in  the  world  to  in- 
vestigate the  Guelph  System,  against  which  bias 
and  prejudice  would  be  the  principal  and  only 
witness. 

After  a  successful  clinical  experience  of  many 
years  by  myself  and  the  late  Medical  Director  of 
the  Institution  which  I  have  the  honor  to  repre- 
sent, the  Eev.  Geo.  W.  Carpender,  M.D.,  I  knew 
that  the  only  safety  to  the  traditional  prejudice  of 
that  body  was  to  refuse  to  investigate  my  Guelph 
System.  Hence  I  desired  to  present  the  subject 
to  Your  Majesty,  that  you  might  insist  upon  just 
investigation — not  that  I  am  personally  anxious 
for  further  publicity,  but  for  the  good  of  the  na- 
tion— and  of  the  world! 

The  reply  of  the  Secretary  of  the  Imperial  Can- 
cer Eesearch  Fund,  was  as  follows :  

' l  and  I  am  to  inform  you  that  it  is  contrary  to  the 
practice  of  the  Imperial  Cancer  Eesearch  Fund  to 
countenance  the  application  of  secret  remedies,  the 
nature  of  which  has  not  been  the  subject  of  inde- 
pendent investigation  in  our  laboratories.  I  am 
to  add  that  a  somewhat  similar  communication  ad- 
dressed by  you  to  His  Majesty,  the  King,  has  been 
forwarded  to  this  office. 

"Yours  faithfully, 
(Signed)  FEEDEEIC  G.  HALLETT, 
"Secretary." 

Here  it  is  observed  that  a  strong  and  influential 
body  of  medical  men  take  shelter  under  the  pres- 
tige of  their  King  as  the  "patron"  of  the  body, 
and  of  H.  E.  H.,  the  Prince  of  Wales,  as  presi- 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

dent  thereof,  whose  exalted  position  and  personal 
feelings  and  intelligence  they  do  not  hesitate  to 
ignore  and  insult  by  a  curt  refusal  to  consider  or 
respect  the  vote  or  suggestion  of  their  King  when 
His  Majesty's  intelligence  and  humanity  is  op- 
posed to  their  prejudices.  Care  has  apparently 
been  taken  to  safe-guard  the  professional  element 
from  the  exposure  of  their  ignorance  by  the  official 
or  non-official  action  of  their  ' '  Patron, ' '  the  King, 
or  their  "President,"  who  are  thereby  placed  in  a 
most  unenviable  light  before  the  great  body  of 
medical  men  of  every  civilized  country. 

So  long  as  one  of  the  most  important  medical 
research  organizations  in  the  country  shall  be  per- 
mitted to  ignore  or  refuse  to  "  countenance ' '  the 
research  of  independent  medical  men,  and  to  dis- 
miss an  important  communication  forwarded  to 
that  body  by  Your  Majesty's  command,  in  the  curt 
manner  shown  herein,  so  long  will  Your  Majesty's 
efforts  to  stamp  out  this  dread  disease  of  cancer 
and  consumption  be  in  vain. 

The  plausible  excuse  presented  by  the  Imperial 
Cancer  Eesearch  Fund  is  inconsistent  with  the 
general  practice,  I  believe,  as  I  am  of  the  opinion 
that  various  "secret  remedies,"  such  as  serums 
and  other  proprietary  preparations  are  made  the 
' '  subject  of  independent  investigation  in  their  own 
laboratories." 

The  Guelph  system  is  a  proprietary  one,  and  is 
open  to  the  same  independent  investigation  by 
any  scientific  body,  under  fair  conditions. 

The  actual  details  of  the  process  of  preparation 
will  be  withheld  from  a  prejudiced  profession  at 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

least  until  the  matter  of  awards  shall  have  been 
settled. 

The  Guelph  Sanatoria  will  control  the  remedies. 

In  conclusion  I  beg  to  state  that  the  Guelph 
Sanatoria,  now  being  established,  will  arrange  to 
treat  cases  of  consumption  and  cancer  in  other 
medical  institutions,  the  first  of  which  are  the 
Ladbroke  Nursing  Homes. 

If  Your  Majesty  will  cause  this  matter  to  be 
brought  to  the  notice  of  your  Sanatorium  for  con- 
sumptives, and  to  the  civil  and  military  medical 
departments  for  investigation,  the  prevention  and 
cure  of  cancer  and  consumption  in  Your  Majesty's 
Empire  will  speedily  become  an  accomplished 
fact,  as  has  been  established  by  absolute  clinical 
experience  elsewhere. 

I  am  Your  Majesty's 

Most  Obedient  and  Faithful  Servant, 

(Signed)  JNO.  R.  GUELPH-NOKMAN,  M.D. 

Medical  Director  Royal  Academy  of  Science. 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph         415 
BUCKINGHAM    PALACE 


i4~tfit     l^n^ 


416         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

47  Victoria  Street, 

Westminster, 
London,  S.  W.,  llth  July,  1907. 

To  Imperial  Cancer  Research  Fund, 
Examination  Hall, 

Victoria  Embankment, 

London,  E.  C. 
Gentlemen : 

On  the  25th  of  September,  1906,  I  addressed  a 
letter  to  the  Imperial  Research  Fund,  and  en- 
closed a  memorandum  on  the  subject  of  the 
Guelph  Sterilization  Cure  for  Cancer  and  Con- 
sumption. A  similar  communication  treating  on 
the  same  subject  was  forwarded  to  your  office  by 
the  command  of  His  Majesty,  the  King,  on  or 
about  the  26th  of  September. 

In  your  reply  to  the  above  mentioned  communi- 
cation, under  date  of  3rd  October,  1906,  you  were 
good  enough  to  inform  me  that  "it  is  contrary  to 
the  practice  of  the  Imperial  Cancer  Research 
Fund  to  countenance  the  application  of  secret 
remedies,  the  nature  of  which  has  not  been  the 
subject  of  independent  investigation  in  our 
laboratories." 

I  beg  to  point  out  that  in  inviting  the  Imperial 
Cancer  Research  Fund  to  cooperate  with  the 
Guelph  Sanatoria  "in  advancing  the  rational 
medical  treatment  of  the  diseases  named  (cancer 
and  consumption),  in  the  interest  of  the  public 
health,  I  was  fully  sensible  of  the  fact  that  the  med- 
ical profession  can  not  countenance  the  application 
of  "secret  remedies"  and  was  careful  to  explain 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph         417 

in  said  communication  that  the  Guelph  System  of 
treatment  was  introduced  for  the  consideration 
of  His  Majesty,  the  King,  and  of  the  Imperial 
Cancer  Eesearch  Fund  as  the  result  of  many  years 
of  independent  investigation  and  clinical  experi- 
ence in  the  treatment  of  cancer  in  the  private 
practice  of  a  qualified  medical  man,  in  a  strictly 
professional  and  ethical  manner.  The  successful 
results  obtained  in  the  treatment  of  several  hun- 
dred cases  of  cancer  I  pointed  out  in  my  memo- 
randum, viz,  that  in  a  practice  of  over  forty  years 
there  were  "no  failures"  "no  deaths,"  and  "no 
return  of  cancer"  among  the  cases  treated,  the 
cases  being  kept  under  observation  as  much  as 
possible  for  some  years  after  treatment. 

Under  date  of  3rd  November,  1906,  I  again 
urged  the  Imperial  Cancer  Eesearch  Fund,  "in 
the  cause  of  humanity,"  to  "at  least  condescend 
to  watch  cases  that  may  be  treated  in  the  Guelph 
Sanatoria  about  to  be  established,  even  though 
the  Fund  may  not  see  its  way  to  make  the  Guelph 
System  of  treatment  the  subject  of  independent 
investigation  in  the  laboratories  of  the  Fund,  as 
I  understood  has  been  done  with  other  proprietary 
preparations  in  their  laboratories." 

No  answer  having  been  received  to  the  above 
appeal,  I  refrained  from  further  correspondence 
on  the  subject. 

The  recently  published  report  of  the  General 
Committee  of  the  Imperial  Cancer  Research  Fund 
is,  however,  so  misleading  to  the  general  public 
and  more  particularly  so  to  the  thousands  of  vie- 


418         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  GuelpJi 

tims  of  cancer,  that  I  am  compelled  to  take  ex- 
ception to  certain  statements  made  therein. 
1. — The  report  of  the  General  Superintendent  and 
the  Presidential  address  of  His    Royal    High- 
ness, the  Prince  of  Wales,  state  that  impartial 
tests  have  been  made  of  alleged  cancer  cures, 
and  that  no  curative  value  can  be  attached  to 
any  of  them. 

2. — That  so  far  there  is  "nothing  to  justify  the 
hopes  of  a  new  treatment."  Reference  is  made 
to  full  advantage  being  taken  of  any  means  that 
may  be  discovered  for  the  alleviation  of  suffer- 
ing, etc. 

The  empirical  attitude  of  the,  Imperial  Cancer 
Research  Fund  in  presuming  to  brand  the  results 
of  investigations  conducted  by  private  practi- 
tioners as  "so-called  cures,"  "alleged  cures," 
etc,,  and  in  assuming  to  be  the  central  and  only 
authority  on  the  nature  of  and  treatment  for  can- 
cer— of  which  the  Fund  confesses  it  knows  noth- 
ing, involves  a  grave  responsibility. 

The  responsibility  for  the  loss  of  many  thou- 
sand lives  annually  from  a  curable  disease,  and 
from  a  preventable  disease. 

The  only  inference  to  be  drawn  from  your  re- 
port by  the  public  is : 

1. — That  the  Fund  is  the  official  and  only  au- 
thority on  cancer. 

2. — That  physicians  throughout  the  world  who  are 
engaged  in  the  study  of  cancer  submit  the  re- 
sults of  their  investigations  to  the  Fund. 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph         419 

3. — That  nothing  so  far  is  known  of  the  nature  of 
or  treatment  for  cancer. 

4. — That  publicity  given  to  any  treatment  for  this 
disease  is  to  be  discredited,  unless  it  bears  the 
"hall  mark"  of  the  Fund. 

Under  the  above  circumstances,  and  considering 
the  appalling  mortality  from  cancer  and  the  rapid 
increase  in  the  number  of  cases,  I  am  once  more 
impelled  to  ask  the  Imperial  Cancer  Research 
Fund  to  submit  to  "impartial  tests"  by  practical 
clinical  application  to  cancer  in  the  human  being, 
the  Guelph  Sterilization  Cure  for  Cancer  and  Con- 
sumption. 

The  Guelph  System  is  not  a  "secret"  remedy, 
but  it  is  an  ethical  proprietary  remedy  of  a  nature 
such  as  is  in  regular  use  by  the  medical  profes- 
sion in  all  civilized  lands.  The  only  protection 
asked  for  is  the  protection  of  "proprietary 
rights,"  as  is  usual  in  such  cases. 

The  investigation  asked  for  and  required  for 
this  established  system  of  treatment  in  the  preven- 
tion cure  of  cancer  is  the  practical  application  of 
the  remedy  to  cancer  in  the  human  being,  in  which 
cases  the  results  are  irrefutable — a  cure  in  every 
case. 

Yours  faithfully, 
(Signed)  JNO.  R.  GUELPH-NOKMAN,  M.D., 

Medical  Director,  Guelph  Sanatoria. 
Ladbroke  Nursing  Home, 


420         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

111  Ladbroke  Grove,  W. 
3rd  November,  1906. 

To  the  Imperial  Cancer  Research  Fund, 
Examination  Hall, 

Victoria  Embankment. 
Gentlemen : 

In  further  reference  to  my  letter  of  25th  Sep- 
tember, and  enclosed  memorandum,  on  the  subject 
of  the  '  '  Guelph  Sterilization  Cure  for  Cancer  and 
Consumption, ' '  I  have  the  honor  to  state  that  since 
the  receipt  of  your  >  reply  thereto,  I  have  received 
the  thanks  of  His  Majesty,  the  King,  for  having 
introduced  the  Guelph  rational  system  for  the  pre- 
vention and  cure  of  cancer  and  consumption.  I 
have  also  been  advised  that  the  communication 
addressed  by  me  to  the  King  had  been  forwarded, 
by  His  Majesty's  command,  to  the  Secretary  of 
the  Imperial  Cancer  Research  Fund. 

It  was,  therefore,  a  matter  of  surprise  and  re- 
gret to  me  that  a  communication  of  such  vital  im- 
portance to  the  public  health  and  in  the  saving  of 
life  referred  to  the  Imperial  Cancer  Research 
/Fund  by  His  Majesty,  the  King,  who  is  also 
patron  of  the  Fund,  should  have  been  dismissed 
by  the  Fund  without  any  attempt  whatever  to  in- 
vestigate its  merits. 

I  find,  from  your  letter  of  3rd  ultimo,  that  I  have 
been  laboring  under  a  grave  misapprehension  as 
to  the  purpose  for  which  the  Fund  was  formed, 
and  I  believe  that  His  Majesty,  the  King,  patron 
of  the  Fund,  H.R.H.,  the  Prince  of  Wales,  Presi- 
dent of  the  Fund,  and  other  influential  supporters 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

of  the  Fund  are  victims  of  the  same  misunder- 
standing. 

That  His  Majesty,  the  King,  as  patron  of  the 
Fund,  should  have  been  graciously  pleased  to  have 
caused  the  attention  of  the  Imperial  Cancer  Re- 
search Fund  to  be  called  to  the  Guelph  rational 
system  for  the  prevention  and  cure  of  cancer  and 
consumption,  in  the  interest  of  His  Majesty's 
people,  knowing  that  it  is  contrary  to  the  practice 
of  the  Imperial  Cancer  Research  Fund  to  coun- 
tenance such  applications,  or  the  researches  of  in- 
dependent medical  men,  and  that  neither  the 
King's  pleasure,  his  exalted  rank,  nor  his  official 
and  personal  connection  with  the  Fund  would  be 
respected  or  considered  in  a  matter  of  such  mo- 
ment, shows  on  one  hand,  His  Majesty's  great  in- 
terest in  and  sympathy  for  his  people,  in  that  he 
was  willing  to  risk  the  reproof  of  the  conserva- 
tive professional  element  dominating  the  Fund 
under  His  Majesty's  patronage. 

On  the  other  hand,  which,  I  think,  is  apparent, 
His  Majesty  was  under  the  impression  that  the 
Fund  was  formed  and  is  supported  by  public  sub- 
scription, for  the  purpose  of  liberal  and  unpreju- 
diced investigation  and  research  into  the  nature 
of  and  treatment  for  cancer. 

Second,  that  said  investigations  would  not  be 
limited  to  the  researches,  experiments  and  experi- 
ence of  the  few  medical  men  who  are  members 
of  the  Fund,  but  that  the  results  of  the  researches 
of  any  medical  man,  or  other  person,  in  the 
furtherance  of  the  objects  of  the  Fund,  would  be 
entitled  to  courteous  consideration,  and,  if  the 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

same  gave  evidence  of  any  apparent  value,  should 
be  made  "the  subject  of  independent  investiga- 
tion in  the  laboratories  of  the  Imperial  Cancer 
Eesearch  Fund." 

I  would  state  that  from  inquiries  I  believe  that 
the  above  opinion  is  that  of  the  general  public. 

The  attitude  of  the  Imperial  Cancer  Eesearch 
Fund  in  having  ignored  the  King's  desire  to  es- 
tablish the  merit  of  the  Guelph  system  for  the  pre- 
vention and  cure  for  cancer  and  consumption, 
without  so  much  as  making  it  a  matter  for  the  in- 
dependent investigation  in  your  own  laboratories, 
is  the  more  remarkable  when  the  statement  of  the 
General  Superintendent  of  Eesearch  and  Director 
of  the  Central  Laboratory  in  his  fourth  annual 
report  before  the  Executive  Committee  of  the 
Imperial  Cancer  Eesearch  Fund,  is  considered. 

He  there  states  that  attention  had  been  given 
to  the  examination  of  various  so-called  "cancer 
cures, ' 7  which  had  appeared  from  time  to  time  in 
the  public  press. 

The  action  of  the  General  Superintendent  of 
Eesearch  in  examining  into  the  merits  of  what  he 
styles  "so-called  cancer  cures,"  and  refusing  to 
investigate  the  bonafide  results  of  the  researches 
of  independent  medical  men  when  the  same  are 
presented  through  the  regular  course  by  the  dis- 
coverer, and  subsequently  sent  to  the  Imperial 
Cancer  Eesearch  Fund  by  His  Majesty,  the  King, 
and  Patron  of  the  Fund,  is,  to  my  mind,  incom- 
prehensible. 

I  beg  to  state  that  I  brought  this  subject  to  the 
notice  of  His  Majesty,  the  King,  and  sought  the 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

cooperation  of  the  Imperial  Research  Fund,  with 
a  view  to  the  speedy  reduction  of  the  enormous 
death  rate  from  consumption  (five  millions  per 
annum)  and  the  present  rapidly  increasing  mor- 
tality from  cancer. 

The  interest  shown  by  His  Majesty,  the  King, 
both  in  his  letter  of  thanks  to  myself  and  in  com- 
manding that  the  subject  of  the  Guelph  System 
of  cure  for  the  above  diseases  should  be  brought 
to  the  notice  of  the  Imperial  Cancer  Research 
Fund  is  most  commendable,  and  characteristic  of 
his  superior  intelligence  and  judgment,  and  sym- 
pathy for  his  people. 

The  attitude  of  the  Imperial  Cancer  Research 
Fund,  on  the  other  hand,  is  most  regrettable. 

In  conclusion  I  would  state  for  the  information 
of  the  Imperial  Cancer  Research  Fund,  that  in 
addition  to  the  reception  of  cases  of  cancer  and 
consumption  in  the  Ladbroke  Nursing  Homes  in 
London  and  at  Southend-on-Sea,  for  treatment 
by  the  Guelph  System,  it  is  intended  to  establish, 
as  rapidly  as  possible,  institutions  at  various  cen- 
ters throughout  the  United  Kingdom,  the  conti- 
nent of  Europe,  Canada,  the  United  States  of 
America,  Asia  and  Australasia  for  the  introduc- 
tion of  this  treatment  (the  necessary  funds  for 
which  will  be  furnished  by  a  physician  who  comes 
of  a  family  many  members  of  which  have  died 
from  cancer,  and  who,  himself,  was  cured  of  can- 
cer six  years  ago — having  had  a  cancer  removed 
from  the  neck  by  the  Guelph  Sterilization  Cure 
for  Cancer,  without  a  return  of  the  disease.  It 
may  be  here  mentioned  that  fch.e  hereditary  disease 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

in  the  family  of  the  medical  man  in  question  in- 
variably shows  itself  in  the  neck  and  throat.) 

I  trust  that  in  the  cause  of  humanity,  the  Im- 
perial Cancer  Research  Fund  will  at  least  con- 
descend to  watch  cases  treated  in  the  Guelph 
Sanatoria  about  to  be  established,  even  though  the 
Fund  may  not  see  its  way  to  make  the  Guelph 
System  of  treatment  the  subject  of  independent 
investigation  in  the  laboratories  of  the  Fund,  as 
I  understand  from  the  Superintendent's  report,  al- 
ready quoted,  has  been  done  with  other  proprie- 
tary preparations  in  their  laboratories. 

I  feel  it  my  duty  to  state  in  the  interest  of  the 
medical  profession  and  the  public  health  that  from 
my  experience  and  researches  throughout  the 
world  during  the  past  quarter  of  a  century,  and 
from  the  successful  clinical  results  of  my  prac- 
tice and  the  results  of  the  practice  during  the 
past  forty  years  of  my  colleague  and  partner, 
the  late  Rev.  Geo.  W.  Carpender,  M.D.  (Ann  Ar- 
bor, Michigan,  '53) — the  noted  specialist  for  can- 
cer— a  more  general  knowledge  of  the  Guelph 
System  throughout  the  British  Empire  will  mark 
His  Majesty's  reign  by  the  conquest  of  the  scourge 
of  the  earth — cancer  and  consumption.  On  the 
other  hand  the  lack  of  cooperation  or  a  manifesta- 
tion of  primitive  professional  jealousies  and  pre- 
judices may  prolong,  for  a  brief  season  only,  the 
sacrifice  of  human  lives. 

Then,  as  in  the  case  of  the  late  Emperor 
Frederick  of  Germany  and  Sir  Morell  Mackenzie 
and  his  persecutors,  the  awakening  will  come,  and 
the  present  system  of  human  sacrifice  to  tradi- 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph         425 

tional  and  conservative  medical  bigotry  will  be  a 
thing  of  the  past,  and,  as  in  all  history,  the  oppo- 
nents to  rational  and  intelligent  progress  will  be 
buried  in  oblivion. 

Yours  faithfully, 
(Signed)  JNO.  R.  GUELPH-NORIVCAN,  M.D., 

Medical  Director,  Guelph  Sanatoria. 


IMPERIAL  CANCER  RESEARCH 


Patron. 
'HIS   MAJESTY   THE    KING. 

President. 
K.RM.  .THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES. 

Yloe-  President*. 

LORD    LISTER.  LO'RD    STRATHCONA    4    MOUNT    ROYAL,'  C.C.M.0. 

RIGHT    HON.    A.    J.    BALFOUR.    M.P.  SIR    WILLIAM    BROADBENT,    BART.,    K.C.V.O 

SlR   JULIUS   WERNHER,  BART.        Mr..    H.    L.    BISCHOFFSHEIM.        Ml.    W.    WALDORF 

ZVi<Www.:-^HR.    HENRY    MORRIS.  ^r^arr'-MR.    FREDERIC    Q..  HAtLETT. 

Central  SutenntctKJtnt  ef  Restart*  a*/  ) 

D»-  E.   F.  BASHFORD. 


EXAMINATION    HALL, 

VICTORIA    EMBANKMENT, 

'LONDON.    W.t 


jt  15th.,  190?, 

Sir, 

With  reference  to  your  letter  of  the  llth.  inst.,  I  baye. 
again  perused  ^rour  previous  communications  and  the  memorandum, 
accompanying  then,  and  I  beg  to  inform  you  that  I  aa  unable  tfc 
take  any  action  , in  regard  to  the  matter  to  vfaich  you  draw  .atteftr- 
tion. 

J  em,  Sir, 

Youra  faithfully, 


•J,R.  Cuelph-Norman  Fsq.,  M.D, 


420         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  GuelpTi 

GUELPH  CUKES  FOR  CANCER  AND  CONSUMPTION. 

1st  January,  1908. 
His  Majesty,  King  Edward  VII., 
Sandringham  House, 
Sandringham. 

Sire :  Permit  me  to  wish  Your  Majesty  a  Happy 
New  Year.  I  pray  Almighty  God  that  the  New 
Year  may  witness  the  realization  of  the  two  great 
objects  which  have  characterized  Your  Majesty's 
reign  as  that  nearest  approaching  the  Divine  Con- 
stitution of  the  King  of  Kings,  viz : 

The  establishment  of  the  reign  of  the  (moral) 
law,  by  the  adoption  of  an  International  Con- 
stitution of  the  United  Nations  of  Earth,  to  the 
Glory  of  God  and  the  Salvation  of  men,  and — 

To  confirm  the  last  two  paragraphs  of  my 
telegraphic  message  of  Christmas  Day  to  Your 
Majesty,  which  read  as  follows : 

"It  is  my  privilege  to  announce  at  this  season 
that  Your  Majesty's  untiring  efforts  to  stamp  out 
the  national  scourges  of  Cancer  and  Consumption 
are  about  to  be  crowned  with  success  through  the 
successful  results  of  extensive  research  of  Messrs. 
Carpender  and  Guelph.  The  systems  for  the  Pre- 
vention and  Cure  of  these  diseases  is  my  Christ- 
mas offering  to  my  King  and  Country.  I  pray 
Your  Majesty's  acceptance  thereof,  for  the  good 
of  the  Empire." 

Supplementing  the  foregoing  telegraphic  com- 
munication of  my  offer  as  a  Christmas  gift, 
through  Your  Majesty,  to  the  British  Empire,  of 
the  said  systems  of  medical  treatment,  viz : 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

1.  The  Guelph  System  for  the  prevention  and 
cure  of  Consumption  and  other  forms  of  tuber- 
culosis. 

2.  The  Guelph  System  for  the  prevention  and 
cure  of  cancer  and  other  abnormal  growths.  *  *  * 

Unfortunately  for  suffering  humanity,  the  same 
traditional  prejudice  of  the  medical  profession 
which  prevailed  fifty  years  ago  still  stalks  through 
the  ranks  of  the  profession,  and  not  less  than  one, 
hundred  million  lives  have  been  sacrificed  on  the 
altar  of  Conservative  Professionalism  from  Can- 
cer alone  since  the  father  of  the  rational  cure  for 
Cancer  (Dr.  Geo.  W.  Carpender)  first  demonstrat- 
ed that  this  dread  disease  can  be  both  prevented 
and  cured,  and  gave  his  discoveries  to  the  world, 
only  to  be  discredited  and  assailed  by  those  who 
were  not  worthy  to  lace  his  boots. 

In  the  introduction  of  remedial  agents  for  such 
diseases,  I  fully  recognize  the  importance  of  due 
investigation  before  adoption  of  the  same,  but 
when  the  results  of  years  of  research  by  an  emi- 
nent physician,  and  the  incontestable  results  of 
clinical  tests  are  condemned  by  those  who  sit  in 
the  seat  of  the  scornful,  ivifhout  any  investigation 
whatever,  while  five  million  lives  are  annually  sac- 
rificed from  consumption,  and  about  the  same 
number  from  cancer,  while  the  doctor  and  physi- 
cian stand  by  the  bedside  of  the  victims,  and  say, 
"No,  don't  try  that,  the  patient  must  die,"  what 
can  he  say,  who  knows  that  such  victims  can  be 
saved  by  rational  medical  treatment,  if  only  the 
same  is  adopted  before  the  vitality  has  been  com- 
pletely exhausted.  He  can  only  look  upon  those 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

whose  prejudice  and  bias  condemn  the  untold  mil- 
lions to  death,  and  say:  "You  are  tine  greatest  ene- 
mies of  the  human  race — you  are  responsible  for 
more  murders  than  have  been  committed  by  all 
other  murderers  from  Cain  to  the  present  day — 
you  have  sacrificed  more  lives  on  the  altar  of  ig- 
norance and  bigotry  than  have  been  slain  in  bat- 
tles in  the  history  of  the  world — you  are  the  great- 
est hindrance  to  the  progress  of  science  and  to  the 
legitimate  demands  of  suffering  humanity." 

Commencing  about  fifty  years  ago,  the  Rev. 
George  W.  Carpender  M.D.  (Ann  Arbor,  Mich., 
'53 ),  published  the  results  of  his  researches  and 
early  clinical  experience  in  the  treatment  of  can- 
cer. He  also  demonstrated  his  system  for  many 
years  by  means  of  lectures  before  various  medical 
colleges  and  medical  associations.  The  incredu- 
lity, bias,  and  prejudice  with  which  his  statements 
and  clinical  reports  were  received  by  the  profes- 
sion did  not,  be  it  said  to  their  honor,  prevent 
medical  men  from  sending  their  cancer  cases  from 
different  parts  of  the  country  to  this  eminent  and 
fearless  specialist.  Of  all  the  cases  taken  up  and 
treated  by  him,  not  one  was  lost ! 

The  practitioners  who  sent  the  cases  and 
watched  the  treatment,  admitted  the  cures,  but 
they  invariably  changed  their  ground  by  stating 
that  they  and  others  who  had  diagnosed  the  cases 
as  cancer,  including,  of  course,  the  most  eminent 
specialists,  were  clearly  in  error,  as  shown  by  the 
cure — as  cancer,  an  "incurable  disease,"  could  not 
be  cured.  Hence,  it  is  that  there  was  not  found  a 
case  of  cancer  in  the  land;  and,  according  to  the 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

"wise  ones/'  the  uselessness  of 
search,"  in  so  far  at  least  as  the  idea  of  finding  a 
cure  for  an  "incurable"  disease  is  concerned,  and 
cancer  research,  according  to  this  "professional'' 
opinion,  a  most  ridiculous  farce. 

For  some  years  prior  to  my  entering  into  part- 
nership with  Dr.  George  W.  Carpender  in  1899, 
my  colleague  had  discontinued  to  publish  in  the 
medical  journals  the  results  of  his  later,  and  im- 
proved, methods  of  treatment.  His  reason  for  so 
doing  being  chiefly  on  account  of  the  fact  that 
while  the  members  of  the  medical  profession  re- 
fused to  admit  the  truth  of  what  they  beheld  with 
their  own  eyes  (as  in  the  case  of  the  contempo- 
raries, over  forty  years  of  age,  of  the  illustrious 
Harvey),  the  unqualified  quack,  taking  advantage 
of  the  indisputable  results  of  Dr.  Carpender 's 
treatment  of  cancer  and  the  published  formulae  on 
the  one  hand,  and  the  professional  prejudice  and 
bigotry  on  the  other,  entered  the  field  and  reaped 
a  rich  harvest,  and,  incidentally,  brought  the  great 
discoveries  of  one  of  the  greatest  physicians  that 
ever  lived,  into  greater  disrepute. 

Without  elaborating  further  upon  the  now  per- 
fected systems  of  treatment  herein  referred  to,  I 
can  not  but  feel  that  the  unceasing  practical  in- 
terest which  you  have  taken  in  the  subject  of  can- 
cer and  consumption  for  so  many  years,  both  as 
Prince  and  King,  for  the  saving  of  life  and  for 
the  alleviation  of  the  suffering  of  so  many  mil- 
lions of  Your  Majesty's  subjects,  will  enforce  the 
claim  of  Your  Majesty's  commands  respecting  the 
proper  investigation  of  the  system  of  treatment 


430         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

for  the  diseases  specified  herein,  a  brief  history 
of  which  I  have  prepared  for  submission  to  Your 
Majesty.  *  *  *  ' 

It  will  afford  me  great  pleasure  to  depute  Wil- 
liam Pitt  Carpender,  M.D.  (Ann  Arbor,  Mich.), 
and  Frank  Blair  Humphreys,  M.D.  (Ann  Arbor, 
Mich.),  nephews  of  my  colleague,  Dr.  George  W. 
Carpender,  or  other  practitioners,  to  meet  any 
Commission  that  Your  Majesty  may  be  graciously 
pleased  to  appoint  in  the  interests  of  the  public 
health  and  the  advancement  of  science,  to  demon- 
strate before  such  Commission  the  merit  of  the 
various  lines  of  preventive  and  curative  treatment 
comprising  the  Guelph  Systems  for  the  Prevention 
and  Cure  of  Cancer  and  Consumption,  according 
to  the  various  stages  of  development  of  the  re- 
spective diseases  in  different  cases. 

When  the  value  of  the  Guelph  Systems  shall 
have  been  thus  satisfactorily  reported  upon  by 
Your  Majesty's  Commission,  and  my  offer  for- 
mally accepted  by  Your  Majesty  on  behalf  of  Your 
Majesty's  Empire,  the  full  formula  and  other  par- 
ticulars governing  the  treatment  of  the  respective 
diseases  will  be  formally  handed  over  to  Your 
Majesty  or  to  such  authority  as  you  may  be  gra- 
ciously pleased  to  empower  to  receive  the  same. 

Awaiting  Your  Majesty's  most  gracious  per- 
mission to  submit  the  Eeport  herein  referred  to 
for  Your  Majesty's  personal  inspection, 

I  beg  to  remain,  Sire, 
Your  Majesty's  Most  Obedient  Servant, 

JOHN  E.  GUELPH,  M.D. 


THE  LATE  REVEREND  GEORGE  W.  CARPENDER,  M.  D. 

The  celebrated  specialist  of  Chicago.    Father  of  the  rational 
medical  treatment  of  cancer.     For  some  years  a 
colleague  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph         431 

PKINCE  OF  WALES  AND  CANCER  EESEARCH IMPORTANT 

WARNING     AGAINST     MISLEADING     STATEMENTS 

PUBLIC     HEALTH     SACRIFICED     TO     PRO- 
FESSIONAL PREJUDICE. 

In  the  published  report  of  the  sixth  meeting  of 
the  General  Committee  of  the  Imperial  Cancer 
Eesearch  Fund,  held  at  Marlborough  House,  un- 
der the  presidency  of  His  Eoyal  Highness,  the 
Prince  of  Wales,  in  July,  1907,  certain  statements 
are  presented  to  the  public  as  being  official,  au- 
thoritative and  absolute  on  the  present  knowledge 
of  cancer;  of  its  nature,  cause  and  cure  of  which 
the  public  is  assured,  nothing  is  yet  knoum. 

The  grave  responsibility  incurred  by  members 
of  the  Eoyal  family  in  consenting  to  act  as  the 
mouthpieces  of  a  professional  body,  such  as  the 
Imperial  Cancer  Eesearch  Fund,  is  amply  illus- 
trated in  the  presidential  address  of  the  Prince 
of  Wales  at  the  meeting. 

In  expressing  the  satisfaction  of  the  General 
Committee  at  the  "growing  confidence  of  the  pub- 
lic in  the  work  of  the  fund, ' '  as  shown  ' '  from  the 
endeavors  which  are  now  being  made  in  France, 
Belgium,  Scandinavia  and  the  United  States  to 
organize  similar  investigations,"  and  last,  but 
not  least,  by  the  munificent  donation  of  £40,000 
from  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bischoffsheim,  the  Prince  said, 
"the  broad  lines  of  inquiry  undertaken  by  the  Im- 
perial Cancer  Eesearch  Fund  have,  we  feel,  in- 
fluenced the  whole  nature  of  investigation  at  home 
and  abroad."  And  again,  "It  is  recognized  that 
the  work  is  conceived  and  carried  out  in  a  liberal 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

spirit;  that  whatever  facts  are  ascertained  (for  or 
against  the  curative  value  of  '  alleged'  cures)  are 
immediately  made  known  to  every  one;  that  our 
material  is  freely  placed  at  the  disposal  of  all  who 
are  qualified  to  use  it  to  good  advantage ;  that  our 
staff  is  not  working  for  its  own  ends,  but  with  a 
whole-hearted  desire  to  help  on  a  solution  of  the 
problem. " 

"Although  many  new  facts  have  been  ascer- 
tained, they  do  not  as  yet  justify  hopes  of  a  new 
treatment."  "It  is  hoped,  therefore,  that  the  pub- 
lic will  continue  by  its  sympathy  and  financial  as- 
sistance to  support  the  work  of  the  Imperial  Can- 
cer Eesearch  Fund,  and  be  willing  to  exercise  the 
patience  necessary  for  the  prolonged  and  sys- 
tematic investigation. " 

"The  fact  that  alleged  cures  are  being  submit- 
ted to  impartial  tests,  such  as  the  report  shows 
to  have  been  done  in  the  case  of  trypsin,  will,  I 
hope,  assure  the  public  that  everything  will  be 
done  to  take  full  advantage  of  any  means  that  may 
be  discovered  to  alleviate  suffering/' 

The  above  excerpts  speak  for  themselves  (the 
italics  are  mine),  "broad  lines ;"  "liberal  spirit ;" 
"alleged  cures "  submitted  to  "impartial  tests," 
"facts  immediately  made  known;"  "alleged 
cures"  condemned,  "no  curative  value"  could  be 
attached  to  any  of  those  which  had  been  tested; 
no  hope  yet  for  a  new  treatment,  and  the  public 
is  expected,  of  course,  to  accept  this  as  authori- 
tative, final. 

Be  patient,  suffer  and  die  by  tens  of  thousands, 
we  are  the  Imperial  authority — wait  till  we  have 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph         433 

concluded  our  experiments  in  breeding  cancerous 
mice. 

The  tenor  of  the  addresses  and  of  the  General 
Superintendent's  report  is  that  of  Imperialism. 
The  whole  world  takes  its  cue  from  the  Fund ;  and, 
rightly  or  wrongly,  the  public  must  accept  the 
ruling  of  that  august  body. 

To  the  interested  public,  the  line  of  research  fol- 
lowed by  the  Fund  is  anything  but  " broad, "  "lib- 
eral" and  "impartial."  The  report  of  the  Gen- 
eral Superintendent  for  1906  stated  as  follows: 

"The  advance  in  our  knowledge  now  enables  us 
to  reproduce  at  will  all  the  features  of  spontane- 
ous cancer  in  mice,  and  to  protect  healthy  mice 
from  all  the  consequences  of  inoculating  them 
with  experimental  cancer.  This  having  been 
achieved,  it  is  not  too  much  to  hope  that  the 
further  development  of  the  experimental  study  of 
cancer  will  ultimately  yield  results  having  a  di- 
rect bearing  on  the  nature  and  treatment  of  can- 
cer." This  year  the  same  fad  is  being  closely 
followed.  "By  removing  tumors  surgically,  mice 
had  been  got  to  breed,  and  by  successively  cross- 
ing them  with  other  mice  naturally  suffering  from 
cancer,  any  hereditary  tendency  which  might  exist 
was  being  concentrated.  In  the  course  of  a  few 
years  (!)  the  vexed  question  of  hereditary  would, 
therefore,  be  settled  one  way  or  the  other." 

It  would  seem  that  experimental  inoculation  of 
cancer  in  mice  to  produce  cancer;  to  remove  tu- 
mor surgically  in  mice;  to  breed  by  scientifically 
crossing  cancerous  mice  to  prove  or  disprove  the 
hereditary  nature  of  cancer  (in  mice),  has  been 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

the  hobby  for  some  years,  and  is  expected  to  be 
so  for  at  least ' '  a  few  years ' '  to  come. 

In  the  meantime  forty  thousand  people  are  dy- 
ing in  England  annually  from  this  dread  disease, 
and  the  public  is  assured  in  all  seriousness  that 
the  Fund  is  examining  all  so-called  or  "  alleged " 
cures  brought  before  it  and  that  every  advantage 
is  taken  of  any  means  that  may  possibly  alleviate 
suffering.  The  only  thing  the  public  is  asked  to 
do  is  to  support  the  work  financially  and  to  wait 
— or  die — patiently;  try  nothing  to  save  life, 
because  the  General  Superintendent  has  subjected 
every  " alleged"  cure  to  impartial  tests  and  de- 
clares that  there  is  nothing  of  any  curative  value 
— awful  responsibility. 

On  the  25th  of  September,  1906,  the  writer  ad- 
dressed a  letter  to  His  Majesty,  the  King,  Patron 
of  the  Imperial  Cancer  Eesearch  Fund,  relative 
to  a  specific  treatment  for  the  prevention  and  cure 
of  Cancer  and  Consumption.  A  memorandum  was 
enclosed  giving  some  particulars  of  the  treatment ; 
and  His  Majesty  was  asked  in  the  name  of  hu- 
manity to  cause  the  system  to  be  made  the  sub- 
ject of  investigation,  i.e.,  submitted  for  "impartial 
tests." 

I  am  happy  to  be  able  to  state  that  His  Majesty 
at  once  recognized  the  importance  of  the  sub- 
ject, and  commanded  that  the  paper  be  forwarded 
to  the  Secretary  of  the  Imperial  Cancer  Kesearch 
Fund,  and  conveyed  his  thanks  to  the  originator 
of  the  Guelph  system. 

On  the  same  date,  25th  September,  a  similar 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph         435 

letter  was  addressed  by  the  writer  to  the  Imperial 
Cancer  Research  Fund. 
The  following  is  a  copy  of  the  reply : 

Examination  Hall, 

Victoria  Embankment, 
London,  W.  C.,  3rd  October,  1906. 
' '  Sir,  I  have  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  your 
letter  of  25th  ult.  and  enclosed  memorandum  and 
I  am  to  inform  you  that  it  is  contrary  to  the  prac- 
tice of  the  Imperial  Cancer  Research  Fund  to 
countenance  the  application  of  secret  remedies, 
the  nature  of  which  has  not  been  made  the  sub- 
ject of  independent  investigation  in  our  labora- 
tories. 

"I  have  to  add  that  a  somewhat  similar  com- 
munication addressed  by  you  to  His  Majesty,  the 
King,  has  been  forwarded  to  this  office.  I  am, 
Sir,  Yours  faithfully, 

"  FREDERIC  Gr.  HALLETT,  Secretary. 

Thus  the  authority,  pleasure  and  interest  of  His 
Majesty,  the  King  and  the  Patron  of  the  Fund, 
was  ignored,  and  the  last  paragraph  of  the  above 
letter  fully  expresses  the  contempt  in  which  His 
Majesty's  opinion  is  held  by  the  "Committee." 

I  am  now  waiting  funds  to  establish  Sanatoria 
for  the  treatment  of  these  diseases  and  will  pub- 
lish the  full  report  and  correspondence  on  the  sub- 
ject and  also  challenge  the  Medical  members  of  the 
Fund,  who,  sheltering  themselves  under  the  influ- 
ence of  the  royal  patron,  and  other  royal  and  in- 


4<S6         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

fiuential  supporters ;  deliberately  turn  down  a  sys- 
tem of  cure  of  the  disease  for  the  discovery  of 
which  is  the  sole  purpose  for  which  the  Fund  was 
established.  Considering  that  the  system  spoken 
of  here  also  applies  to  the  prevention  and  treat- 
ment of  consumption,  from  which  disease  one  mil- 
lion deaths  occur  annually  in  Europe,  sixty  thou- 
sand being  contributed  by  England,  and  possibly 
over  two  million  in  the  British  Empire,  and  that 
more  deaths  result  from  cancer  than  from  all  the 
following  diseases — smallpox,  diphtheria,  typhoid 
fever,  scarlet  fever,  measles  and  whooping-cough, 
and  the  terrible  responsibility  resting  on  the 
shoulders  of  the  Official  of  the  Imperial  Cancer 
Eesearch  Fund,  who  refused  to  investigate  a  sys- 
tem, even  at  the  suggestion  or  command  of  His 
Majesty,  the  King,  and  then  hoodwinked  the  public 
by  saying  that  "alleged"  cures  are  impartially 
tested,  is  one  that  calls  for  investigation. 

The  Guelph  system  is  not  an  "alleged"  cure,  but, 
as  previously  stated,  an  established  "fact,"  which, 
according  to  the  Prince  of  Wales,  should  be  "im- 
mediately made  known  to  everybody,"  that  some 
of  the  5,000,000  lives  lost  annually  from  consump- 
tion, and  some  of  the  millions  dying  from  can- 
cer might  be  saved  and  the  disease  prevented. 

;( Signed)  JNO.  E.  GUELPH. 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph         437 


438         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 


BUftOIM.COSeN$  &C* 


o.eotiH* 

::""::. 

ItkMMM*, 


Br  Oualph  Norman, 

7.  Csldervale  Road, 
Clapham  Park, 


Daar  Doctor, 

"Amritam"  lg  before  some  likely  peopla, 
and  l  am  waiting  their  diolelone*  I  am 
almotffc  AS  impatient  in  the  .matter  aa  you 
nuat  fti&  but  it  would  be  fatal  to  show  itf 
QuelPh.  Sterilizatio^  "euro. 

fh!0  I  have  eet  out  most  ful^and 
in  detail^f  or  the  council  of  'the  Incorpora- 
ted Mediatfl  Practitioners  Association,  but 
I  have  hot  heard  any  report  upon  it  so  Tar* 
I  have  also  ta&en  stops  to  make  it  known 
that  you  would  be  ''prepared  to  accept  a 
partner,  and  would  prefer  a  physioian|in 
the  establishment  of  your  homes,  but  that 

you  are  not  prepared  to  take  any  person* 
it  «uat  be  a  persona  gratcf 
Yours  truly, 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph         439 
* 


•MUMICCI>»  LONOOM: 

Dr  Ouelph  Norman, 

7  Caldervale  Road, 
Clapiiaia  Park, 

Dear   Sir.  ' 

T  have  receive*  today  a  letter  frwt 
the  Incorporated  Medical  Px-aotition«r« 
Association,  of  whion  I  enolow  &  oopy.^ 
The  concluding  part  of  thi»  letter  etritos 
me  as  pretty  strong!  I  wonder  what  the/ 
are  going  upon?  J.  should  say  that  they, 
or  some  or  them,  have  approached  the 
members,  or  a  aeaber^of  the  Royal 
and  that^a.  you  are  at  loggerhead*  wit* 
them,  they  toave  put  a  spoke  i»  yovr 


I.M.P.A? 


trydy, 


THE  INCORPORATED  MEDICAL  PRACTITIONERS* 

Moorgate  Station  Chambers, 
London,  E.  C.,  17th  December,  1906. 

A.  J.  Hills,  Esq., 

5  Laurence  Pountney  Hill, 
Cannon  Street,  E.  C. 

GUELPH-NORMAN  TREATMENT. 

Dear  Sir: 

At  the  Meeting  of  the  Council  held  in  Novem- 
ber, it  was  resolved  that  your  letters  on  this  mat- 


440         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

ter  shall  be  given  to  the  President,  who  should 
go  through  them  and  report  to  the  next  Meeting 
of  the  Council.  That  Meeting  was  held  last  Thurs- 
day, the  13th  inst.,  and  there  was  a  general  dis- 
cussion on  the  matter  after  the  President  had 
given  his  views,  and  it  was  resolved  that  I  should 
write  and  thank  you  for  the  trouble  you  have 
taken  in  the  matter,  and  for  your  endeavor  to 
benefit  the  members  of  this  Association,  but  to  ad- 
vise you  that  the  Council  can  only  consider  it  in 
the  nature  of  a  quack  remedy,  and  that,  there- 
fore, they  cannot  be  connected  with  it  in  any  way. 

Yours  truly, 
(Signed)  JOHN  SELL  COTMAN. 


7  Caldervale  Eoad, 
Clapham  Park,  S.  W. 
19  December,  1906. 

I.M:.P.A.  AND  THE  GUELPH  TREATMENT. 

Major  A.  J.  Hills. 
My  Dear  Sir: 

Your  favor  of  yesterday  with  copy  of  a  letter 
from  the  I.M.P.A.,  reporting  the  action  taken 
by  that  august  body  on  the  Guelph  Sterilization 
System  for  the  prevention  and  cure  of  cancer  and 
consumption  was  duly  received. 

Pray  accept  my  thanks  for  having  brought  this 
important  matter  to  the  notice  of  the  Incorporated 
Medical  Practitioners'  Association.  In  having  so 
caused  this  representative  body  of  British  physi- 
cians to  record  the  resolution  adopted  at  the  meet- 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph         441 

ing  of  the  Council  on  Thursday,  13th  inst.,  you 
have,  in  my  opinion,  done  the  public  a  service. 

The  concluding  part  is,  as  you  remark,  "pretty 
strong,"  but  withal,  perfectly  natural — it  was  ever 
so,  "quack,  quack,  quack!"  Medical  history  is 
full  of  the  familiar  cry.  All  that  is  deserving 
of  any  consideration  in  the  realm  of  medicine  has 
been  forced  upon  the  medical  world,  and  for  the 
saving  of  life,  to  the  accompaniment  of  the  pro- 
fessional chorus — "quack!  quack!!  quack!!!" 

The  report  of  the  I.M.P.A.  on  the  conquest  of 
cancer  by  the  Guelph  System  will  be  most  care- 
fully preserved  as  the  richest,  if  not  the  most 
highly  prized,  of  the  records  of  the  Institution. 
In  justice  to  the  medical  profession,  and  for  due 
protection  of  the  public  health  and  general  interest 
the  unqualified  verdict  of  the  I.M.P.A.  against  a 
system  of  treatment  without  even  a  pretense  to  in- 
vestigate the  merits  of  the  same,  shall  be  duly  re- 
corded by  or  through  the  official  organ,  when  the 
same  shall  be  published,  in  a  column  facing  the 
clinical  reports  on  results  of  the  practical  appli- 
cation of  the  system. 

My  letter  of  last  evening  explains  the  position 
of  the  system.  The  attitude  of  the  institution 
must  be  aggressive  pioneer  effort  in  combating 
the  scourge  of  the  earth — (cancer  and  consump- 
tion)— and  its  greatest  ally,  the  "Quack!  quack!! 
quack ! ! !  element  of  the  medical  profession. 

A  year  from  now  the  Guelph  medical  will  be 
held  in  as  high  esteem  as  is  the  Guelph  political 
to-day.  Yours  very  truly, 

(Signed)  JNO.  E.  GUELPH. 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 


UftOCM.  C0SCM»  ft  Ct 


•>    OUBCti* 
O.CO1EN* 

»  COitMS. 


'MWNICCPSAOMOONr 


Or  Quelph  Norman, 

7  Caldervale  L ..  .  . 
Claphaa  Park, 

Dear  Doctor, 

Sanatoria. 
JTour  plan  and  challenge  ^oughj^  to 

•it  upi  I  am  rather  digguated  , 
say  with  what  appears  to  te^as  an 
outsider  as  being  little  and  narrow  minde' 
If  your  cure  be  worthless,  the  Doctors 
did  not  atand  to  sufjer  by  it^in  any  way, 
neither  would  you  have  gained,  ir  it  be 
valuable,  then  for  a  silly  ra^they  are 

^  .   ft  -       »     .     v 

8iu.ply  flouting 

fours  truly. 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph         443 
THE  LORD  MAYORS  CRIPPLES  FUND. 


AANSIOH  HOOSE, 

LOMDON.  E.C 
.  UK., 


-you  ve^  wuefv  {on,  ywh  tetter 


J  Mil  fviooeed  «K/tfv  -tAe  uxyvfe  {<yu  wJviofv  -It  -Uv  ^ei^  cottected, 
<vnd  J  ^otl  -Uven  te  ve^  <jlod  of.  '-t^ve  lw»rve{^t  o{  ycy 
orvd  odmoe. 

leSjyuMvj  o{.  ^tlveVl^oii-eaa,  ^yu  wUt 
xlte  me  am.  <swt  J  u^vtt  -envdeoixwa  -to 


The  following  is  the  copy  of  a  letter  from  a  gen- 
tleman of  prominence  who  went  from  England  to 
see  Prince  John  De  Guelph.  It  furnishes  an  idea 
of  what  the  attitude  of  the  British  public  will  be 


444         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

when  the  wrongs  inflicted  upon  the  Prince  John 
and  his  royal  mother  are  fully  comprehended : 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph         445 


-^vy&*-~>/^ 


446         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph         447 

STORY    OF     QUEEN     VICTORIA     AND     PRINCE    ALBERT  *S 
NEGOTIATIONS  WITH  THE  DANISH  COURT. 

When  in  San  Francisco  I  one  day  made  the  ac- 
quaintance of  a  pretty  little  woman,  a  Mrs.  Mae 
Ogden,  wife  of  a  member  of  the  police  force  of 
that  city. 

I  took  an  artistic  interest  in  this  lady's  voice 
and  consequently  she  was  for  a  time  almost  in 
daily  touch  with  me.  One  day  while  she  was  sing- 
ing for  me  the  Prince  came  home  (he  was  then  in 
business  with  my  father),  and  I  begged  him  to 
come  in  that  he  might  give  his  opinion  of  my 
newly  discovered  "song-bird." 

After  he  had  listened  to  her  and  manifested  his 
pleasure  and  expressed  his  good  wishes  for  her 
future,  he  retired  and  we  took  up  our  private 
conversation  again. 

Mrs.  Ogden  then  turned  to  me  and  said,  "What 
did  you  say  the  gentleman's  name  was?" 

"Mr.  Guelph,  "I  replied. 

"Guelph,"  said  Mrs.  Ogden,  that  is  the  name 
of  the  Eoyal  family  of  England.  I  did  not  know 
there  were  any  others  by  that  name." 

"I  believe  there  are  not,"  I  again  replied. 

"Why  then  -  -  how  do  you  make  that  out?" 
she  said,  deeply  interested. 

"I  mean  that  his  intimate  friends  know  him  as 
a  Prince,  he  belongs  to  the  Royal  family  of  Eng- 
land and  is  the  legitimate  issue  of  King  Edward 
VII  and  his  first  Princess-Consort-  It  is  pretty 
generally  known  that  King  Edward  married  a 
beautiful  Irish  belle,  who  was  a  descendant  of  one 


448         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

of  the  proudest,  most  ancient  and  noblest  Houses 
of  the  United  Kingdom,  whose  ancestral  seat  was 
in  Ireland.  The  lady  was  said  to  be  the  most 
beautiful  in  the  four  kingdoms." 

As  I  spoke  her  face  flushed  crimson  and  then 
paled  as  though  she  were  more  than  ordinarily  in- 
terested and  she  finally  stopped  my  remarks  by 
saying — 

"Oh,  I  believe  I  know  all  about  it — isn't  this  the 
most  extraordinary  meeting  in  the  world?  Why, 
my  mother  and  father  have  entertained  my 
brothers  and  sisters  and  myself  through  our  child- 
hood with  the  story  of  the  Prince  of  Wales'  first 
love,  the  unhappy  bride,  and  the  unfortunate  little 
Prince,"  she  stopped  and  thought  a  second  or  two 
and  said,  "His  name  is  John,  is  it  not?" 

"It  is,"  I  replied.  "How  do  you  know  that 
it  is!" 

"Because  that  was  the  name  of  the  poor  little 
Prince  who  was  to  be  put  away  from  his  mother 
among  strangers  that  he  might  grow  up  among 
the  people  and  away  from  the  influence  of  the 
court. ' ' 

"My  father,"  she  continued,  "took  charge  of 
the  Royal  hunting  farm  and  both  my  parents  were 
Royalty's  trusted  servants.  When  the  marriage 
of  Albert  Edward,  Prince  of  Wales,  with  Prin- 
cess Alexandra  was  first  talked  of,  Queen  Vic- 
toria, Prince-Consort,  Prince  Christian  (he  was 
not  yet  King),  and  the  Princess  Louise  of  Den- 
mark retired  to  the  hunting  farm  for  the  con- 
ference upon  that  matter  and  my  parents  were  in 
'and  out  of  the  room  in  attendance  upon  their 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph         449 

Majesties  all  during  that  conference.  The  matter 
of  this  meeting  had  been  kept  quite  a  secret.  My 
parents  have  told  us  often  how  the  two  Royal  hus- 
bands advised  Queen  Victoria  and  Princess  Louise 
of  Denmark  afterwards  Queen  Louise),  that  under 
the  circumstances  it  would  be  a  dangerous  experi- 
ment to  form  any  new  alliance  for  the  Prince  of 
Wales  and  more  especially  on  account  of  the  high 
rank  of  the  Prince's  young  and  beautiful  bride, 
and  also  because  there  was  issue  and  that  issue  a 
Prince.  The  Prince-Consort  also  warned  Queen 
Victoria  that  she  must  remember  that  in  Edward 
they  had  no  such  unfaithful  and  vacillating  Prince 
as  was  George  IV  and  that  he  had  warned  them, 
in  fact  had  sworn  that  if  they  insisted  in  thus 
separating  him  from  the  wife  of  his  choice,  whom 
he  considered  quite  qualified  in  rank  and  in  every 
way  fitted  to  be  the  future  Queen  of  England,  that, 
if  his  first  marriage,  his  bride  or  the  issue,  the  little 
Prince  John,  ever  faced  him  or  claimed  their  first 
right,  he  would  never  disown  them.  The  Prince 
Christian  said  that  there  was  no  doubt  but  that, 
as  the  first  marriage  had  been  duly  performed  in 
the  regular  way,  the  issue  would  become  a  serious 
obstacle  to  the  heirs  of  Alexandra  and  he  seriously 
advised  Queen  Victoria  to  permit  the  first  mar- 
riage to  stand.  The  Prince-Consort  also  stated 
that  if  the  English  people  ever  came  to  know  the 
truth  of  the  matter  and  the  manner  in  which 
Queen  Victoria  meant  to  hush  it  up  and  to 
put  away  the  Prince,  that  the  people  would  rise 
up  in  righteous  indignation  at  such  proceedings 
wihch  might  actually  form  the  basis  for  serious 


450         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

trouble  and  revolution,  more  especially  as  the 
British  people  were  very  religious  as  a  whole 
and  most  particular  on  the  marriage  ques- 
tion. That  this  in  fact  was  the  trend  of  the  argu- 
ment and  it  was  because  Queen  Victoria  did 
have  misgivings  on  this  subject  that  she  kept  the 
bride  in  Windsor  Castle  until  after  the  birth  of  the 
Prince  John  that  she  might  take  care  of  and  keep 
all  the  evidence  as  nearly  as  possible  in  her  own 
hands;  that  she  had  engaged  nurses  from  her 
own  county  and  whom  she  felt  certain  she  could 
trust ;  that  the  bride  was  afterwards  turned  away 
with  a  broken  heart  bereft  of  her  husband  and  her 
little  son." 

So,  she  said,  the  story  went  and  that  all  Den- 
mark knew  of  it  before  Alexandra's  marriage. 

I  saw  Mrs.  Ogden  a  few  days  after  the  earth- 
quake. She  was  well,  but  her  parents  were  both 
in  very  bad  health  as  a  consequence  of  the  shock 
and  terror  they  had  experienced.  Whether  they 
are  now  living  I  do  not  know,  but  the  daughter 
was  living  and  well  a  year  ago,  as  I  had  a  very 
nice  letter  from  her. 

Since  I  came  to  Brooklyn  I  met  a  Miss  Jacobs, 
from  Denmark,  and  she  said  she  had  often  heard 
of  King  Edward's  first  marriage  and  that  it  was 
well  known  and  was  common  talk  in  Copenhagen 
at  that  time  and  that  the  people  had  no  sympathy 
with  their  methods  of  doing  the  first  wife  and  the 
little  Prince  John  out  of  their  rightful  inheritance 
in  that  wholesale  manner.  They  were  pleased  at 
the  honor  paid  to  their  Danish  Princess,  but  did 
not  approve  of  ignoring  a  marriage  that  was  a 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph         451 

sacrament,  and  legal    contract    in    the    eyes    of 
Church  and  State. 

ANNE  ELIZABETH,  Princess  De  Guelph. 
18th  August,  1910. 


EMPIRE  EEFOKM   LEAGUE. 

The  Empire  Reform  League  is  established  to 
secure  the  abrogation  of  certain  laws  enacted  in 
the  Middle  Ages  and  at  later  periods  which  are 
inapplicable  in  the  twentieth  century  in  that  the 
provisions  of  said  Acts  are  contrary  to  the  princi- 
ple of  religious  liberty,  are  arbitrary,  oppressive, 
and  unjust.  The  said  Acts  have  been  productive 
of  gross  injustice,  poverty,  distress,  and  wanton 
sacrifice  of  life;  the  said  Acts  are  responsible 
for  the  long-continued  oppression  in  Ireland,  the 
wholesale  evictions  and  unjust  executions ;  for  the 
increasing  frequency  of  famine  and  pestilence  in 
India;  for  the  excessive  taxation  of  the  people 
and  the  unhealthy  economic  conditions  through- 
out the  Empire  and  the  consequent  political  un- 
rest, jeopardizing  the  peace  of  the  world. 

Lastly,  the  said  barbarous  Acts  are  responsible 
for  the  infamous  custom  of  Eoyal  polygamy  in 
the  Reigning  House,  for  the  discarding  of  the 
rightful  Queen  and  the  disfranchisement  of  the 
eldest  legitimate  son  and  heir,  the  King-Emperor 
de  jure. 

The  following  are  a  few  of  the  Acts  to  be  re- 
pealed, the  same  being  prejudicial  to  the  peace  of 


452         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

the  world,  repugnant  to  the  tenets  of  the  Chris- 
tian religion,  and  revolting  to  the  moral  senti- 
ment of  the  civilized  world: 

1.  To  repeal   the   Act  of  Union — A   just  and 
necessary  measure  looking  to  the  emancipation  of 
Ireland,  and  to  the  development  of  closer  friendly 
relations  between  the  parties  thereto  than  is  pos- 
sible under  the  said  distasteful  Act  of  Union. 

2.  To  repeal  the  barbarous  Act  of  William  and 
Mary  (the  Bill  of  Eights.)     The  said  Act  being 
inapplicable  in  the  present  age  of  civilization  in 
that  it  is  co-ntrary  to  all  principles  of  religious 
liberty  and  to  the  moral  sentiments  of  all  civilized 
nations. 

3.  To  repeal  the  Act  34,  Edward  III,  passed  at 
a  Parliament  heM  at  Westminster  on  the  Sunday 
next  before  the  Feast  of  the   Conversion   of   St. 
Paul  A.  D.,  1360-61,  obsolete  in  Great  Britain,  but 
still  applied  in  Ireland.    The  said  Act  has  been  re- 
sponsible for  gross  injustice  in  that  long-suffering 
country,  in  that  it  dispenses  with: 

a.  The  production,  as  accuser,  of  any  person 

threatened  or  injured  by  the  accused. 

b.  The  right  of  an  accused  person   to   a  trial 

by  jury,  and 

c.  To  institute   those   proceedings   before   the 

Court  of  King's  Bench,  from  which  deci- 
sion there  could  be  no  appeal. 

4.  To  annul  and  abrogate  the  12  George  III 
C.  IT.  of  1772,  the  so-called  Eoyal  Marriage  Act, 
which  is  a  violation  of  the  Laws  of  both  Church 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph         453 

and  State,  and  of  the  Canonical  and  Civil  dis- 
abilities by  which  marriages  of  Kings,  Princes, 
and  peasants  alike  are  regulated  in  the  United 
Kingdom  of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland ;  and  which 
said  so-called  Act  has  from  the  date  of  its  enact- 
ment been  recognized  as  unconstitutional  and  in- 
operative and  therefore  obsolete,  until  the  year 
1860,  when  the  late  Queen  Victoria  resorted  to  it 
to  satisfy  her  autocratic  whims  in  controlling 
royal  marriages  in  the  Reigning  House,  a  weak- 
ness for  which  Her  Majesty  was  most  noted. 

The  Empire  Reform  League  will  secure  the  en- 
actment of  legitimate  measures  to  provide  for  po- 
litical and  economic  reform  and  the  more  efficient 
administration  of  all  matters  tending  to  the  ad- 
vancement of  national  prosperity  and  permanent 
good  of  the  people,  with  special  reference  to  the 
development  of  the  natural  resources,  manufactur- 
ing, agricultural  and  other  industries  of  Ireland 
and  in  India,  for  the  amelioration  of  the  condi- 
tion of  long-continued  adversity  and  suffering  in 
those  countries,  and  for  the  promotion  of  more 
friendly  relations  between  Great  Britain  and  Ire- 
land and  America,  and  the  development  of  inter- 
national commerce  on  lines  of  equity  and  justice, 
looking  to  the  establishment  of  international 
peace. 

The  case  of  the  Prince  John  of  Great  Britain 
and  Ireland,  domiciled  in  the  United  States  and 
known  as  Prince  John  de  Guelph,  the  eldest  legiti- 
mate son  and  heir-at-law  of  His  late  Majesty, 
King  Edward  VII,  is  supported  by  The  Empire 
Eeform  League. 


454         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

CAMPAIGN. 

The  Empire  Eeform  League  will  conduct  an 
active  political  campaign  throughout  the  United 
Kingdom  of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland  and  the 
British  Empire,  and  through  the  United  States 
of  America,  by  means  of  public  lectures,  through 
the  public  press,  and  through  its  literary  organs. 

Councils  and  branches  of  The  Empire  Eeform 
League  will  be  established  in  all  large  cities  and 
towns,  and  the  reforms  herein  referred  to  and 
other  legislative  measures  that  may  be  adopted  by 
The  Empire  Keform  League  will  be  brought  be- 
fore the  Imperial  Parliament  in  the  regular  man- 
ner and  carried  to  a  successful  issue. 

Ladies  and  Gentlemen  in  sympathy  with  the  ob- 
jects of  The  Empire  Eeform  League  are  cordially 
invited  to  send  in  their  applications  for  mem- 
bership. 

(Signed)  JOHN  S.  LEWIS, 
Secretary. 

95  Cliff  Street,  New  York  City. 


GUELPH 
EDITOR'S  NOTE 

A  GENEALOGICAL  SKETCH 

A.D.  1000 : — Oldest  known  ancestor,  Hugo,  Mar- 
quis of  Este,  a  district  in  the  province  of  Padua, 
Italy. 

Year  1055: — Albert  Azon  II,  Marquis  of  Este, 
acquired  by  his  marriage  with  Kunigunde,  daugh- 
ter of  Guelph  II,  Count  of  Altdorf,  in  Wurtem- 
berg,  the  domains  of  that  house,  and  became  a 
recognized  Prince  of  the  Holy  Eoman  Empire  of 
German  nationality.  This  original  German  seat 
of  the  Guelphs  in  Germany  is  now  known  as  Wein- 
garten,  and  has  a  famous  abbey  founded  by  the 
Guelphs. 

From  1070  to  1138,  and  from  1156  to  1180,  the 
Guelphs  of  Este-Altdorf  reigned  as  Dukes  in 
Bavaria. 

On  or  about  the  fourth  decade  of  the  twelfth 
century,  the  Guelphs  acquired  by  heritage  the 
fief  of  Nordheim-Supplingenburg,  their  kinsman 
Henry  of  Orgueilleux  marrying  Gertrude,  daugh- 
ter of  the  last  Count  of  Supplingenburg,  this 
Countship  being  an  enclave  in  the  Duchy  of  Bruns- 
wick. 

455 


456         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

About  the  same  time  the  Guelph  Henry  the 
Black,  Duke  of  Bavaria,  acquired  the  right  of 
succession  in  the  Countship  of  Billin  by  his  mar- 
riage to  a  daughter  of  the  last  Count,  Magnus. 

From  1137  to  1138,  and  from  1142  to  1180,  the 
Guelphs  reigned  as  Dukes  in  Saxony. 

In  1811,  as  successors  to  the  ancient  Saxe  Dukes, 
they  acquired  the  Stewardship  in  Brunswick  and 
Luneburg,  ranking  as  German  Duchies. 

On  August  8,  1235,  a  Guelph  assumed  the  style 
and  title  of  Duke  of  Brunswick. 

In  the  year  1520,  the  Guelphs  added  to  their 
titles  that  of  Duke  of  Celle. 

In  the  year  1569  they  assumed  the  government 
of  Luneburg. 

March  28,  1660:— Birth  of  George,  son  of  Elec- 
tor Ernest  Augustus  of  Hanover,  who,  on  August 
1,  1714,  became  King  of  Great  Britain  and  Ire- 
land as  George  I. 

On  March  22,  1692,  the  head  of  the  House  of 
Guelph  assumed  the  style  and  title  of  Prince- 
Elector  of  Hanover.  First  Prince-Elector  of 
Hanover:  Ernest  Augustus,  Consort  of  Sophia, 
daughter  of  the  Princess  Palatine,  Elizabeth 
Stuart,  Queen  of  Bohemia,  granddaughter  of 
James  I  of  England,  and  great-granddaughter  of 
Mary  Stuart,  Queen  of  Scots. 

In  the  year  1697  the  head  of  the  House  of 
Guelph  was  invested  with  the  title  of  Duke  of 
Saxe-Lauenburg. 

January  23,  1698 : — Death  of  Ernest  Augustus. 
Succeeded  by  his  son,  George  Louis,  who  dropped 
the  last  given  name  when  he  became  King  of 


'Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph         457 

Great  Britain  and  Ireland  in  addition  to  Elector 
of  Hanover. 

1700:— Death  of  the  Duke  of  Gloucester,  last 
surviving  son  of  Queen  Anne  of  Great  Britain  and 
Ireland. 

March  22,  1701:— The  British  Parliament  de- 
clared the  Electress  Sophia  next  in  succession, 
and  her  son  George  was  created  Duke  of  Cam- 
bridge, the  "Act  of  Settlement,'7  so  called,  stipu- 
lating that  the  heirs  of  the  Electress  Sophia  must 
be  Protestants. 

May  28,  1714:— Death  of  Electress  Sophia. 

August  1,  1714: — Death  of  Queen  Anne. 

August  1, 1714: — George  Louis  of  Hanover  suc- 
ceeded to  the  English  throne  by  virtue  of  the  Act 
of  Settlement,  and  in  default  of  issue  from  Anne 
and  William.  Took  the  name  of  George  I.  He 
was  married  to  Sophia  Dorothea  of  Celle. 

King  George  brought  no  Queen  to  England,  as, 
on  December  28,  1694,  he  had  divorced  his  wife, 
Sophia  Dorothea,  heiress  of  Duke  George  William 
of  Celle  and  Eleonore  d'Olbreuze. 

When  hereditary  Princess  of  Hanover,  Sophia 
Dorothea  became  the  mother  of  a  Prince  (after- 
ward King  George  II),  and  a  daughter  named 
after  her  (later  wife  of  Frederick  William  I  of 
Prussia).  In  1694  she  was  accused  of  holding  il- 
licit relations  with  Count  Philip  of  Koenigsmarck, 
"than  whom  a  greater  scamp  does  not  walk  the 
history  of  the  seventeenth  century, ' '  and  Koenigs- 
marck was  murdered  outside  of  Sophia  Dorothea's 
apartments  at  the  Hanover  Palace  by  order  of 
her  husband  and  father-in-law,  on  July  1st  of  that 


458         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph 

year.  After  the  divorce,  Sophia  Dorothea  was 
banished  to  the  castle  of  Ahlden  and  became  known 
as  Princess  of  Ahlden.  There  she  was  kept  a 
prisoner  of  state  until  her  death,  November  23, 
1726. 

September  27,  1714:— The  only  son  of  King 
George  I  proclaimed  Prince  of  Wales.  He  was 
married  to  Wilhelmina  Charlotte  Caroline  of 
Ansbach. 

June  11,  1727 :— Succession  of  George  II— the 
Princess  of  Ahlden 's  son — as  King  of  Great 
Britain  and  Ireland. 

April  27,  1746 :— Battle  of  Culloden,  making  an 
end  of  the  Jacobites  under  the  "  Young  Pre- 
tender. ' ' 

October  25,  1760:— The  grandson  of  George  II 
mounted  the  throne  as  George  III.  His  father 
was  the  late  Prince  Frederick  Louis  of  Wales, 
married  to  Augusta  of  Saxe-Coburg.  He  was  the 
first  Guelph  King  of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland 
born  in  England  (June  4, 1738) .  Charlotte  Sophia 
of  Mecklenburg  was  his  wife.  Under  George  III 
England  acquired  Canada  from  France  and 
Florida  from  Spain,  and  lost  the  American  colo- 
nies during  the  war  begun  in  1775  and  concluded 
by  the  peace  of  Versailles,  September  3,  1783. 

Up  to  1811,  George  III  had  several  temporary 
attacks  of  mental  derangement ;  he  became  hope- 
lessly insane  in  that  year.  He  is  the  author  of  the 
infamous  Eoyal  Marriage  Act,  known  as  "12 
George  III  C.  II,"  which  practically  sanctions 
bigamy  in  the  royal  house  of  Great  Britain.  He 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph         459 

was  probably  insane  when  he  conceived  this  state 
paper  and  forced  its  passage. 

January  29,  1820 : — Succession  to  the  Crown  of 
George  IV,  regent  since  1811.  He  was  the  oldest 
son  of  George  III. 

December  21,  1785: — Marriage  of  the  above  to 
Mrs.  Fitzherbert. 

April  8,  1795 : — Marriage  of  the  above  to  Caro- 
line of  Brunswick,  without  divorce  from  Mrs.  Fitz- 
herbert; but  he  refused  to  allow  his  plural  wife, 
known  as  Queen  Caroline,  to  be  crowned. 

June  6,  1820: — George  IV  instituted  divorce 
proceedings  against  Caroline  in  the  House  of 
Lords,  charging  infidelity,  but  the  suit  was  aban- 
doned for  want  of  evidence. 

June  26,  1830 :— Succession  of  William  IV, 
brother  of  George  IV,  born  at  Windsor,  August 
31,  1765.  His  marriage  to  Adelaide  of  Meiningen 
was  without  issue. 

June  20/1837: — Succession  of  Victoria,  Queen 
of  Great  Britain,  the  first  Empress  of  India.  She 
was  the  daughter  of  the  Duke  of  Kent,  a  son  of 
George  III  and  a  Coburg  Princess.  Victoria  was 
born  May  24,  1819,  and  on  February  10,  1840, 
married  Prince  Albert  of  Saxe-Coburg.  She  had 
issue  as  follows: 

Princess  Victoria,  afterward  Empress  Freder- 
ick of  Germany;  Albert  Edward,  Prince  of  Wales; 
Princess  Alice,  afterward  Grand  Duchess  of 
Hesse  (deceased) ;  Prince  Alfred,  died  as  Duke  of 
Saxe-Coburg  and  Gotha;  Princess  Helen,  after- 
ward Princess  Christian  (deceased) ;  Prince 
Arthur,  created  Duke  of  Connaught;  Prince  Leo- 


460         Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  GuelpTi 

pold,  created  Duke  of  Albany  (deceased) ;  Prin- 
cess Beatrice,  widow  of  Prince  Henry  of  Batten- 
berg. 

In  March,  1860,  the  Prince  of  Wales,  afterward 
King  Edward,  married  a  noble  Irish  lady  at  Kings- 
town, Ireland. 

January  8,  1861 : — Issue  of  the  above  marriage 
born  at  Windsor  Castle,  named  John,  Prince  de 
Guelph. 

March  10,  1863:— The  Prince  of  Wales  con- 
tracted another  marriage,  without  the  first  being 
dissolved,  with  Princess  Alexandra,  daughter  of 
the  heir-presumptive  of  Denmark,  Prince  Chris- 
tian, afterward  King  Christian  IX. 

Issue  of  this  second  marriage :  Albert  Victor, 
created  Duke  of  Clarence  and  Avondale  (de- 
ceased) ;  George,  Prince  of  Wales,  now  George  V 
(uncrowned);  Louise,  Duchess  of  Fife;  Princess 
Maud,  now  Queen  of  Norway. 

Status  of  the  Queen  of  King  George  V: 

Mary,  the  Queen  of  George  V,  de  facto  King 
of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland,  is  the  oldest  daugh- 
ter of  the  late  Princess  Mary  of  Cambridge,  first 
cousin  to  Queen  Victoria  and  her  husband,  a  mem- 
ber of  the  lower  German  nobility. 

Queen  Mary's  father  is  the  issue  of  Duke  Alex- 
ander of  Wurtemberg  and  his  morganatic  wife, 
Claudine,  Countess  Ehedy,  subsequently  created 
Countess  Hohenstein,  but  never  recognized  by  any 
of  the  Continental  courts.  The  King  of  Wurtem- 
berg named  him  Teck,  after  a  ruined  castle  on 
the  Danube,  and  threw  in  the  title  of  Prince  when 
the  boy  became  of  age. 


Memoirs  of  Prince  John  De  Guelph         461 

After  Prince  Francis  had  been  married  to  Prin- 
cess Mary  five  years,  the  Wurtemberg  King  cre- 
ated him  Duke  of  Teck,  and  conferred  the  title  of 
Prince  and  Princess  on  his  issue.  The  Teck  Ducal 
title  was  never  recognized  by  any  of  the  Conti- 
nental courts  except  that  of  Stuttgart. 


14  DAY  USE 

RETURN  TO  DESK  FROM  WHICH  BORROWED 

LOAN  DEPT. 

RENEWALS  ONLY — TEL.  NO.  642-3405 
This  book  is  due  on  the  last  date  stamped  below,  or 

on  the  date  to  which  renewed. 
Renewed  books  are  subject  to  immediate  recall. 


AUG?2  1965  73 

REC'D  LD 

AUG21'69-10AM 

LD2lA-60m-6,'69 
(J9096slO)476-A-32 

General  Library 
University  of  California 
Berkeley 

YC  28643 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


